Work from home and the association with sedentary behaviors, leisure-time and domestic physical activity in the ELSA-Brasil study

BACKGROUND

Work from home (WFH) can impact workers´ sedentary behaviors and levels of physical activity. The aim of this study was to estimate the association between WFH and workers´ sedentary behaviors, leisure-time and domestic physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and verify whether age and sex may act as effect modifiers.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 2544 participants in the supplementary study on COVID-19 in the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) from July 2020 to February 2021. We assessed screen time (≤ 8 h/day versus > 8 h/day), accumulated sitting time (≤ 8 h/day versus > 8 h/day) as sedentary behaviors on a typical day, and leisure-time (active versus inactive, according to World Health Organization recommendations) and domestic (low versus high, according to median) physical activity, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), before and during social distancing. Logistic regression models were used.

RESULTS

Participants that were working from home during social distancing showed increased odds of screen time and sitting time greater than 8 h/day (OR = 3.12; 95%CI: 2.32-4.20 and OR = 2.68; 95%CI: 2.02-3.56, respectively) and higher odds of high domestic physical activity (OR = 1.29; 95%CI: 0.99-1.67) when compared to those not working from home. There was no association between WFH and leisure-time physical activity (OR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.75,1.31). Age was an effect modifier in the association between WFH and leisure-time physical activity and domestic activity. Older people working from home showed higher odds of physical inactivity (OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.07,3.16) and high domestic physical activity (OR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.12,3.27) compared to older people not working from home.

CONCLUSION

WFH was associated with sedentary behavior > 8 h/day and high domestic physical activity. In the older people, WFH was associated with physical inactivity and high domestic physical activity. As sedentary behavior and physical inactivity are consistently negatively associated with health, it is important to discuss policies to manage WFH that allow pauses from physical activities and performance of hours of work within preestablished limits to reduce sedentary behavior. In addition, individuals working from home, especially the older people, should be encouraged to engage in leisure-time physical activity as a form of health promotion.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods and incidence of dyslipidemias: the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have been associated with cardiometabolic outcomes, but the literature has still not reported their association with incidence of dyslipidemias, one of the most important risk factors for the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to verify the association between consumption of UPF and incidence of dyslipidemia in Brazilian civil servants at a 4-year follow-up. The study used data from 5,275 participants at baseline and on the first follow-up visit in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). We applied a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline and identified UPF from NOVA, classification of foods as to the extent and purpose of processing. The proportion (in weight) of UPF in the total diet was calculated for each participant and categorized in tertiles, corresponding to low (first tertile), medium (second tertile), and high (third tertile) consumption. A mixed-effects logistic model was used to obtain the incidence of dyslipidemia associated with consumption of UPF. Individuals with medium and high consumption of UPF showed increases in the risks of development of isolated hypercholesterolemia by 12% (OR=1.12, CI:1.00-1.27) and 28% (OR=1.28, CI:1.12-1.47), of isolated hypertriglyceridemia by 14% (OR=1.14, CI:1.03-1.26) and 30% (OR=1.30, CI:1.17-1.45), of mixed hyperlipidemia by 21% (OR=1.21, CI:1.05-1.39) and 38% (OR=1.38, CI:1.18-1.62), and of low-HDL by 12% (OR=1.12, CI:1.00-1.24) and 18% (OR=1.18, CI:1.05-1.32), respectively, compared to participants that consumed less UPF. Our findings showed important cardiovascular risk associated with consumption of UPF and a gradient in the consumption´s effect, so these products should be discouraged.