Physical activity levels of allied health professionals working in a large Australian metropolitan health district - an observational study

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in shift and non-shift workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Research examining the prevalence, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) in shift workers show mixed results. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare PA and SB in shift workers with non-shift workers following the PRISMA guidelines. Ebscohost megafile ultimate (CINHAL, E-journals, Academic search ultimate, health source consumer edition, SPORT Discus), PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases were searched up to April 2021. Cross-sectional and baseline data from longitudinal studies reporting PA and SB in full time workers were eligible. Data on participants characteristics and time spent in PA and SB and/or prevalence of workers meeting PA guidelines were extracted and pooled with random effects model. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) 10-item checklist was adapted and used. A total of 49 studies met inclusion criteria and 21 studies included for meta-analysis. The prevalence of meeting physical activity guidelines (OR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.68, 1.03) and standardized mean difference (SMD) of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (SMD -0.1, 95% CI: -0.4, 0.20) were similar in shift and non-shift workers. Time spent in sedentary behaviour was lower in shift workers than non-shift workers (SMD -0.2, 95% CI: 0.50, -0.001). While the differences in PA are not so evident between shift and non-shift workers, the prevalence of sufficient PA was low in both groups. These preliminary findings provide support for inclusion of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in health promotion interventions targeted at shift workers.

Validity of the occupational sitting and physical activity questionnaire (OSPAQ) for home-based office workers during the COVID-19 global pandemic: A secondary analysis

High levels of occupational sitting is an emerging health concern. As working from home has become a common practice as a result of COVID-19, it is imperative to validate an appropriate self-report measure to assess sitting in this setting. This secondary analysis study aimed to validate the occupational sitting and physical activity questionnaire (OSPAQ) against an activPAL4™ in full-time home-based 'office' workers (n = 148; mean age = 44.90). Participants completed a modified version of the OSPAQ and wore an activPAL4™ for a full work week. The findings suggest that the modified OSPAQ has fair levels of validity in terms of correlation for sitting and standing (ρ = 0.35-0.43, all p < 0.05) and agreement (bias = 2-12%) at the group level; however, estimates were poor at an individual level, as suggested by wide limits of agreement (±22-30%). Overall, the OSPAQ showed to be an easily administered and valid questionnaire to measure group level sitting and standing in this sample of adults.

Mediators of a 12-month change in physical activity in ethnically diverse sample of postpartum women

Purpose

Understanding theoretically derived social and behavioral mediators of long-term increases in physical activity (PA) in a vulnerable population at risk for being underactive is needed to inform future research, clinical applications, and public health efforts. This is an analysis of potential mediators of an intervention that increased long-term (12-month) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in postpartum (2-12months) women in a randomized trial, using a longitudinal analysis.

Methods

Healthy, underactive (i.e., not meeting national guidelines for MVPA) women (n = 311; mean age = 32 ± 5.6 years, 85% minorities) with infants (mean age: 5.7 ± 2.8 months) were randomly assigned to either a tailored eHealth condition consisting of personalized telephone counseling plus access to a website tailored to new mothers' MVPA issues or to a standard MVPA materials-only website. MVPA was assessed via surveys completed at baseline, then 6 and 12 months later. Theoretically derived mediators included social support for MVPA, self-efficacy to increase MVPA, barriers to increasing MVPA, and benefits of increasing MVPA.

Results

All mediators, except benefits, improved over the 12 months in the tailored eHealth condition. The tailored condition's effect on increasing MVPA from 6 months to 12 months was mediated by an increase in social support from baseline to six months. No other hypothesized mediators were significant.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated that learning strategies to increase social support for MVPA was instrumental in new mothers' increase in MVPA over a 12 month intervention. During this brief but impactful life-stage, where the focus can understandably be on her baby, being able to elicit support from friends and family may facilitate women's efforts to focus on their own needs with respect to MVPA.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov number.