Work And Individual Participant Characteristics Associated With Daily Physical Activity Patterns

PURPOSE: To identify factors associated with directly-measured daily physical activity intensity patterns. METHODS: Nineteen participants currently employed at a manufacturing company were recruited to wear Fitbit activity monitoring devices for at least 24 hours including a work shift. Minute-by-minute recordings of intensity (0 = sedentary, 1 = lightly active, 2 = fairly active, 3 = very active) were recorded. Participants also filled out a survey with information on work and individual factors including gender (male/female), job type (hourly/salaried), workplace physical demands (high/low), race (White/non-White), caretaker status (yes/no), leisure time physical activity (none/any), and arthritis (yes/no). T-tests were used to test for differences in average hourly intensities by work and individual factors. RESULTS: We observed significant (p < 0.05) differences in daily physical activity intensity patterns by the following factors: job type (mean intensity hourly = 0.34 (SD = 0.23), salaried = 0.28 (SD = 0.21)); workplace physical demands (mean intensity high = 0.43 (SD = 0.22), low = 0.30 (SD = 0.20)); race (mean intensity White = 0.32 (SD = 0.21), non-White = 0.34 (SD = 0.26)); caretaker status (mean intensity yes = 0.33 (SD = 0.24), no = 0.32 (SD = 0.22)); and arthritis (mean intensity yes = 0.36 (SD = 0.24), no = 0.30 (SD = 0.21)). We observed no significant differences in daily physical activity intensity patterns by gender or leisure time physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: We observed differences in directly-measured daily physical activity intensity patterns by both work and individual factors. Participants in hourly jobs, with high workplace physical demands, of non-White race, who are caretakers, and without arthritis had higher physical activity intensities. Our results suggest the need to consider these factors in targeted interventions to promote healthy physical activity patterns in working adults.