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Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research article

Associations between occupational indicators and total, work-based and leisure-time sitting: a cross-sectional study

Authors: Corneel Vandelanotte, Mitch J Duncan, Camille Short, Matthew Rockloff, Kevin Ronan, Brenda Happell, Lee Di Milia

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2013

Abstract

Background

A better understanding of how occupational indicators (e.g. job type, doing shift-work, hours worked, physical demand) influence sitting time will aid in the design of more effective health behaviour interventions. The aim of the study was to examine the associations between several occupational indicators and total, occupational and leisure-time sitting.

Methods

Cross-sectional self-report data was collected in November 2011 from 1194 participants through a telephone interview in regional Queensland, Australia (response rate was 51.9%). The Workforce Sitting Questionnaire was used to measure sitting time. Multiple logistic regression was applied to examine associations between sitting time and occupational indicators.

Results

Of all participants 77.9% were employed full-time, 72.7% had white-collar jobs, 35.7% were engaged in shift-work, 39.5% had physically demanding jobs, and 53.2% had high total sitting time (>8 hours a day). Those in physically demanding and blue-collar occupations were less likely to report high total (physically demanding: OR = 0.41,95% CI = 0.29–0.58; blue-collar: OR = 0.55,95% CI = 0.37–0.82) and occupational (physically demanding: OR = 0.26,95% CI = 0.14–0.24; blue-collar: OR = 0.32,95% CI = 0.21–0.49) sitting time compared to those in physically undemanding and white-collar occupations respectively. Working more than 8 hours per day was inversely associated with high leisure-time sitting (OR = 0.44,95% CI = 0.29–0.68). No evidence for ‘compensation’ effects, where lower occupational sitting is compensated with higher leisure-time sitting, was found.

Conclusions

Behaviour change interventions are needed to reduce sitting time as a means to prevent chronic disease. Workplace initiatives to reduce sitting time may be particularly important among individuals employed in white-collar and physical undemanding occupations, although other intervention strategies targeting leisure-time sitting are also required.

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The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/1110/prepub

Title: Associations between occupational indicators and total, work-based and leisure-time sitting: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Corneel Vandelanotte
Mitch J Duncan
Camille Short
Matthew Rockloff
Kevin Ronan
Brenda Happell
Lee Di Milia
Publication date: 01-12-2013
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1110

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Associations between occupational indicators and total, work-based and leisure-time sitting: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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