Is high aerobic workload at work associated with leisure time physical activity and sedentary behaviour among blue-collar workers? A compositional data analysis based on accelerometer data

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 14; no. 6; p. e0217024
• Main Authors: Lund Rasmussen, Charlotte, Palarea-Albaladejo, Javier, Korshøj, Mette, Gupta, Nidhi, Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten, Holtermann, Andreas, Jørgensen, Marie Birk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 06.06.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Accelerometers; Accelerometry; Adult; Aerobiosis; Aged; Analysis; Behavior; Biology and Life Sciences; Blue collar workers; Cardiovascular disease; Correlation analysis; Data analysis; Data collection; Engineering and Technology; Exercise; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Heart rate; Humans; Kinesiology; Leisure; Leisure Activities; Longitudinal studies; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Men; Metabolism; Methods; Middle Aged; Occupations; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Population; Population studies; Populations; Preventive medicine; Psychological aspects; Public health; Regression analysis; Sedentary Behavior; Social Sciences; Statistical analysis; Studies; Women; Work hours; Workers; Working conditions; Workload; Young Adult; Denmark
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217024

This study aimed to investigate the hypothesized negative association between duration of work time spent at a high relative aerobic workload and leisure time movement behaviours among blue-collar workers. This was a cross-sectional study based on heart rate and accelerometer data from 803 blue-collar workers (447 men and 356 women). Relative aerobic workload was measured as percentage of heart rate reserve during work (%HRR). Leisure time movement behaviours were expressed in terms of leisure time spent in sedentary and active behaviours in uninterrupted bouts (i.e. <10 min, ≥10-30 min and >30 min). Compositional regression and isotemporal substitution models were used to assess the association between the predominance of work time spent at ≥40%HRR and leisure time spent in sedentary and active bouts. All analyses were stratified by sex. For men, there was no statistically significant association between the predominance of work time spent at ≥40%HRR and leisure time movement behaviours. Among women, the predominance of ≥40%HRR at work was negatively associated with relative leisure time spent in ≥10 min bouts of active behaviour ([Formula: see text] = -0.21, p = 0.02) and a theoretical 15 min reallocation of work time from <40%HRR to ≥40%HRR was estimated to decrease active behaviour by 6 min during leisure time. Our result highlights the need for considering work-related barriers for an active leisure time in high-risk populations. Longitudinal studies are warranted to disentangle the relationship between physically demanding work characteristics and leisure time movement behaviours in such populations.