Device-measured physical activity and cardiometabolic health: the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep (ProPASS) consortium.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour (SB), and inadequate sleep are key behavioural risk factors of cardiometabolic diseases. Each behaviour is mainly considered in isolation, despite clear behavioural and biological interdependencies. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of five-part movement compositions with adiposity and cardiometabolic biomarkers. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from six studies (n = 15 253 participants; five countries) from the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium were analysed. Device-measured time spent in sleep, SB, standing, light-intensity physical activity (LIPA), and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) made up the composition. Outcomes included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, total:HDL cholesterol ratio, triglycerides, and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Compositional linear regression examined associations between compositions and outcomes, including modelling time reallocation between behaviours. RESULTS: The average daily composition of the sample (age: 53.7 ± 9.7 years; 54.7% female) was 7.7 h sleeping, 10.4 h sedentary, 3.1 h standing, 1.5 h LIPA, and 1.3 h MVPA. A greater MVPA proportion and smaller SB proportion were associated with better outcomes. Reallocating time from SB, standing, LIPA, or sleep into MVPA resulted in better scores across all outcomes. For example, replacing 30 min of SB, sleep, standing, or LIPA with MVPA was associated with -0.63 (95% confidence interval -0.48, -0.79), -0.43 (-0.25, -0.59), -0.40 (-0.25, -0.56), and -0.15 (0.05, -0.34) kg/m2 lower BMI, respectively. Greater relative standing time was beneficial, whereas sleep had a detrimental association when replacing LIPA/MVPA and positive association when replacing SB. The minimal displacement of any behaviour into MVPA for improved cardiometabolic health ranged from 3.8 (HbA1c) to 12.7 (triglycerides) min/day. CONCLUSIONS: Compositional data analyses revealed a distinct hierarchy of behaviours. Moderate-vigorous physical activity demonstrated the strongest, most time-efficient protective associations with cardiometabolic outcomes. Theoretical benefits from reallocating SB into sleep, standing, or LIPA required substantial changes in daily activity.

Relationship of device measured physical activity type and posture with cardiometabolic health markers: pooled dose-response associations from the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep Consortium.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to examine the dose-response associations of device-measured physical activity types and postures (sitting and standing time) with cardiometabolic health. METHODS: We conducted an individual participant harmonised meta-analysis of 12,095 adults (mean ± SD age 54.5±9.6 years; female participants 54.8%) from six cohorts with thigh-worn accelerometry data from the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep (ProPASS) Consortium. Associations of daily walking, stair climbing, running, standing and sitting time with a composite cardiometabolic health score (based on standardised z scores) and individual cardiometabolic markers (BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, HbA1c and total cholesterol) were examined cross-sectionally using generalised linear modelling and cubic splines. RESULTS: We observed more favourable composite cardiometabolic health (i.e. z score <0) with approximately 64 min/day walking (z score [95% CI] -0.14 [-0.25, -0.02]) and 5 min/day stair climbing (-0.14 [-0.24, -0.03]). We observed an equivalent magnitude of association at 2.6 h/day standing. Any amount of running was associated with better composite cardiometabolic health. We did not observe an upper limit to the magnitude of the dose-response associations for any activity type or standing. There was an inverse dose-response association between sitting time and composite cardiometabolic health that became markedly less favourable when daily durations exceeded 12.1 h/day. Associations for sitting time were no longer significant after excluding participants with prevalent CVD or medication use. The dose-response pattern was generally consistent between activity and posture types and individual cardiometabolic health markers. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: In this first activity type-specific analysis of device-based physical activity, ~64 min/day of walking and ~5.0 min/day of stair climbing were associated with a favourable cardiometabolic risk profile. The deleterious associations of sitting time were fully attenuated after exclusion of participants with prevalent CVD and medication use. Our findings on cardiometabolic health and durations of different activities of daily living and posture may guide future interventions involving lifestyle modification.

Feasibility and acceptability of a cohort study baseline data collection of device-measured physical behaviors and cardiometabolic health in Saudi Arabia: expanding the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium (ProPASS) in the Middle East.

BACKGROUND: Physical behaviors such physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep are associated with mortality, but there is a lack of epidemiological data and knowledge using device-measured physical behaviors. PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of baseline data collection using the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep consortium (ProPASS) protocols in the specific context of Saudi Arabia. ProPASS is a recently developed global platform for collaborative research that aims to harmonize retrospective and prospective data on device-measured behaviors and health. Using ProPASS methods for collecting data to perform such studies in Saudi Arabia will provide standardized data from underrepresented countries. METHOD: This study explored the feasibility of baseline data collection in Saudi Arabia between November and December 2022 with a target recruitment of 50 participants aged ≥ 30 years. Established ProPASS methods were used to measure anthropometrics, measure blood pressure, collect blood samples, carry out physical function test, and measure health status and context of physical behaviors using questionnaires. The ActivPal™ device was used to assess physical behaviors and the participants were asked to attend two sessions at (LHRC). The feasibility of the current study was assessed by evaluating recruitment capability, acceptability, suitability of study procedures, and resources and abilities to manage and implement the study. Exit interviews were conducted with all participants. RESULT: A total of 75 participants expressed an interest in the study, out of whom 54 initially agreed to participate. Ultimately, 48 participants were recruited in the study (recruitment rate: 64%). The study completion rate was 87.5% of the recruited participants; 95% participants were satisfied with their participation in the study and 90% reported no negative feelings related to participating in the study. One participant reported experiencing moderate skin irritation related to placement of the accelerometer. Additionally, 96% of participants expressed their willingness to participate in the study again. CONCLUSION: Based on successful methodology, data collection results, and participants' acceptability, the ProPASS protocols are feasible to administer in Saudi Arabia. These findings are promising for establishing a prospective cohort in Saudi Arabia.

Occupational physical activity and risk of mortality in women and men: the Tromsø Study 1986-2021.

OBJECTIVE: Associations between occupational physical activity (OPA) and mortality risks are inconclusive. We aimed to examine associations between (1) OPA separately and (2) jointly with leisure time physical activity (LTPA), and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality, over four decades with updated exposure and covariates every 6-8 years. METHODS: Adults aged 20-65 years from the Tromsø Study surveys Tromsø3-Tromsø7 (1986-2016) were included. We categorised OPA as low (sedentary), moderate (walking work), high (walking+lifting work) or very high (heavy manual labour) and LTPA as inactive, moderate and vigorous. We used Cox/Fine and Gray regressions to examine associations, adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, education, diet, alcohol and LTPA (aim 1 only). RESULTS: Of 29 605 participants with 44 140 total observations, 4131 (14.0%) died, 1057 (25.6%) from CVD and 1660 (40.4%) from cancer, during follow-up (median: 29.1 years, 25th-75th: 16.5.1-35.3). In men, compared with low OPA, high OPA was associated with lower all-cause (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.92) and CVD (subdistributed HR (SHR) 0.68, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.84) but not cancer mortality (SHR 0.99, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.19), while no association was observed for moderate or very high OPA. In joint analyses using inactive LTPA and low OPA as reference, vigorous LTPA was associated with lower all-cause mortality combined with low (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.89), high (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.82) and very high OPA (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.94), but not with moderate OPA. In women, there were no associations between OPA, or combined OPA and LTPA, with mortality. CONCLUSION: High OPA, but not moderate and very high OPA, was associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality risk in men but not in women. Vigorous LTPA was associated with lower mortality risk in men with low, high and very high OPA, but not moderate OPA.

Development and performance of a sleep estimation algorithm using a single accelerometer placed on the thigh: an evaluation against polysomnography.

Accelerometers placed on the thigh provide accurate measures of daily physical activity types, postures and sedentary behaviours, over 24 h and across consecutive days. However, the ability to estimate sleep duration or quality from thigh-worn accelerometers is uncertain and has not been evaluated in comparison with the 'gold-standard' measurement of sleep polysomnography. This study aimed to develop an algorithm for sleep estimation using the raw data from a thigh-worn accelerometer and to evaluate it in comparison with polysomnography. The algorithm was developed and optimised on a dataset consisting of 23 single-night polysomnography recordings, collected in a laboratory, from 15 asymptomatic adults. This optimised algorithm was then applied to a separate evaluation dataset, in which, 71 adult males (mean [SD] age 57 [11] years, height 181 [6] cm, weight 82 [13] kg) wore ambulatory polysomnography equipment and a thigh-worn accelerometer, simultaneously, whilst sleeping at home. Compared with polysomnography, the algorithm had a sensitivity of 0.84 and a specificity of 0.55 when estimating sleep periods. Sleep intervals were underestimated by 21 min (130 min, Limits of Agreement Range [LoAR]). Total sleep time was underestimated by 32 min (233 min LoAR). Our results evaluate the performance of a new algorithm for estimating sleep and outline the limitations. Based on these results, we conclude that a single device can provide estimates of the sleep interval and total sleep time with sufficient accuracy for the measurement of daily physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep, on a group level in free-living settings.

Does it matter for health if steps are taken during work or leisure? A prospective accelerometer study using register-based long-term sickness absence.

BACKGROUND: Walking is known to be good for health. However, it is unknown whether it matters if steps are taken during work or leisure. Therefore, we aimed to examine the prospective association between accelerometer-measured steps taken during work or leisure and register-based long-term sickness absence (LTSA). METHODS: We included 937 blue- and white-collar workers from the PODESA cohort who wore a thigh-based accelerometer over four days to measure number of steps during work and leisure. Steps were divided into domain based on diary data. First event of LTSA was retrieved from a national register with four years' follow-up. We used Cox proportional hazard models to analyze the association between domain-specific and total daily steps and LTSA, adjusted for age, sex, job type, smoking, and steps in the other domain (e.g., work/leisure). RESULTS: We found more steps at work to be associated with a higher LTSA risk [Hazard Ratio (HR):1.04; 95% CI: 1.00-1.08 per 1000 steps]. No significant association was found between steps during leisure and LTSA (HR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.91-1.02), nor between total daily steps and LTSA (HR: 1.01; CI 95% 0.99-1.04). CONCLUSIONS: More steps at work were associated with higher risk of LTSA, while steps during leisure was not clearly associated with LTSA risk. These findings partly support 'the physical activity paradox' stating that the association between physical activity and health depends on the domain.

The impact of selected methodological factors on data collection outcomes in observational studies of device-measured physical behaviour in adults: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Accelerometer measures of physical behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep) in observational studies offer detailed insight into associations with health and disease. Maximising recruitment and accelerometer wear, and minimising data loss remain key challenges. How varying methods used to collect accelerometer data influence data collection outcomes is poorly understood. We examined the influence of accelerometer placement and other methodological factors on participant recruitment, adherence and data loss in observational studies of adult physical behaviours. METHODS: The review was in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA). Observational studies of adults including accelerometer measurement of physical behaviours were identified using database (MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, PsychINFO, Health Management Information Consortium, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature) and supplementary searches to May 2022. Information regarding study design, accelerometer data collection methods and outcomes were extracted for each accelerometer measurement (study wave). Random effects meta-analyses and narrative syntheses were used to examine associations of methodological factors with participant recruitment, adherence and data loss. RESULTS: 123 accelerometer data collection waves were identified from 95 studies (92.5% from high-income countries). In-person distribution of accelerometers was associated with a greater proportion of invited participants consenting to wear an accelerometer (+ 30% [95% CI 18%, 42%] compared to postal distribution), and adhering to minimum wear criteria (+ 15% [4%, 25%]). The proportion of participants meeting minimum wear criteria was higher when accelerometers were worn at the wrist (+ 14% [ 5%, 23%]) compared to waist. Daily wear-time tended to be higher in studies using wrist-worn accelerometers compared to other wear locations. Reporting of information regarding data collection was inconsistent. CONCLUSION: Methodological decisions including accelerometer wear-location and method of distribution may influence important data collection outcomes including recruitment and accelerometer wear-time. Consistent and comprehensive reporting of accelerometer data collection methods and outcomes is needed to support development of future studies and international consortia. Review supported by the British Heart Foundation (SP/F/20/150002) and registered (Prospero CRD42020213465).

Ward-level leadership quality and prospective low-back pain of eldercare workers: do resident handlings mediate the association?

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the extent to which ward-level leadership quality was associated with prospective low-back pain among eldercare workers, and how this association was mediated by observed resident handlings. METHODS: 530 Danish eldercare workers, employed in 121 wards, distributed across 20 nursing homes were evaluated. At baseline, leadership quality was measured using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, and resident handlings [handlings per shift, handlings not using assistive devices, handlings done alone, interruptions to handlings, impediments to handlings] were assessed using observations. Frequency and intensity of low-back pain was assessed monthly during the following year. All variables were averaged for each ward. We used ordinary least squares regressions to examine direct effects of leadership on low-back pain and indirect effects through handlings, using PROCESS-macro for SPSS. RESULTS: After adjustments for low-back pain at baseline, type of ward, staff ratio (i.e., number of workers divided by number of residents) and proportion of devices not in place, leadership quality showed no effect on prospective low-back pain frequency (ß = 0.01 [- 0.05:0.07]) and a small beneficial effect on pain intensity (ß = - 0.02 [- 0.04:0.00]). Resident handlings did not mediate the association between leadership quality and frequency or intensity of low-back pain. CONCLUSIONS: Good leadership quality was associated with a small decrease in prospective low-back pain intensity, but resident handlings did not seem to play a mediating role, although better ward-level leadership quality contributed to fewer workplace-observed resident handlings without assistance. Potentially, organizational factors, such as type of ward and staff ratio, may have a greater influence on handlings and low-back pain than leadership quality per se among eldercare workers.

Can home care work be organized to promote health among the workers while maintaining productivity? An investigation into stakeholders' perspectives on organizational work redesign concepts based on the Goldilocks Work principles.

BACKGROUND: Due to the aging population, the need for home care services is increasing in most Western countries, including Norway. However, the highly physical nature of this job could contribute to make recruiting and retaining qualified home care workers (HCWs) challenging. This issue may be overcome by adopting the Goldilocks Work principles, aiming at promoting workers' physical health by determining a "just right" balance between work demands and recovery periods while maintaining productivity. The aim of this study was to 1) gather suggestions from home care employees on suitable organizational (re)design concepts for promoting HCWs' physical health and 2) have researchers and managers define actionable behavioral aims for the HCWs for each proposed (re)design concept and evaluate them in the context of the Goldilocks Work principles. METHODS: HCWs, safety representatives, and operation coordinators (n = 14) from three Norwegian home care units participated in digital workshops led by a researcher. They suggested, ranked, and discussed redesign concepts aimed at promoting HCWs' health. The redesign concepts were subsequently operationalized and evaluated by three researchers and three home care managers. RESULTS: Workshop participants suggested five redesign concepts, namely "operation coordinators should distribute work lists with different occupational physical activity demands more evenly between HCWs", "operation coordinators should distribute transportation modes more evenly between HCWs", "Managers should facilitate correct use of ergonomic aids and techniques", "HCWs should use the stairs instead of the elevator", and "HCWs should participate in home-based exercise training with clients". Only the first two redesign concepts were considered to be aligned with the Goldilocks Work principles. A corresponding behavioral aim for a "just right" workload was defined: reduce inter-individual differences in occupational physical activity throughout a work week. CONCLUSIONS: Operation coordinators could have a key role in health-promoting organizational work redesign based on the Goldilocks Work principles in home care. By reducing the inter-individual differences in occupational physical activity throughout a work week, HCWs' health may be improved, thus reducing absenteeism and increasing the sustainability of home care services. The two suggested redesign concepts should be considered areas for evaluation and adoption in practice by researchers and home care services in similar settings.

Sensors for Human Physical Behaviour Monitoring.

The understanding and measurement of physical behaviours that occur in everyday life are essential not only for determining their relationship with health, but also for interventions, physical activity monitoring/surveillance of the population and specific groups, drug development, and developing public health guidelines and messages [...].

Can occupational health professionals successfully apply the Goldilocks Work Paradigm in a simulated work redesign?

This study aimed to assess occupational health professionals' application of the Goldilocks Work Paradigm in redesigning jobs for healthier physical behaviours while maintaining productivity. During a group simulation exercise, participants (n = 16) created job descriptions for four different occupation cases (factory worker, office worker, teacher, train driver) and then redesigned the jobs using the Paradigm. Substantial changes in the time spent in sitting (9-30%), standing (8-42%), walking (6-14%), and high-intensity (0-24%) physical behaviours were achieved, which if implemented would likely result in enhanced health for workers. Overall, occupational health professionals were able to successfully redesign fictitious jobs aligned with the Goldilocks Work Paradigm. The simulation task used in this study may be useful to train professionals and assist workplaces to understand and implement the Goldilocks Work Paradigm into practice.Practitioner summary: This study assessed whether occupational health professionals could be trained in the Goldilocks Work Paradigm through a job redesign simulation task. Participants were able to redesign jobs to achieve a healthier 'just right' balance of physical behaviours. Simulations may help workplaces understand and implement a Goldilocks Work approach into practice.

Pain management in eldercare employees - the role of managers in addressing musculoskeletal pain and pain-related sickness absence.

PURPOSE: Managers' knowledge and behaviors in addressing musculoskeletal pain and sickness absence is not well understood. We investigated the association between managers' knowledge and behaviours in relation to employees' pain and their future risk of musculoskeletal pain and associated sickness absence. METHODS: The prospective study included 535 eldercare employees, and 42 managers from 20 nursing homes. Managers' self-reported knowledge and behaviors in relation to employees' pain were grouped using Principal Components Analysis. Eldercare employees reported pain-related sickness absence, and number of days with musculoskeletal pain repeatedly over 1 year. We investigated associations using mixed-effects regression models. RESULTS: We identified four types of managers' knowledge and behaviors: 1) Pain-prevention (actions for prevention of employee pain), 2) Pain-management (actions to assist employees manage pain), 3) Pain-entitlements (communicating entitlements to employees with pain), and 4) Pain-accommodations (ability to facilitate workplace accommodations for employees with pain). The employees of managers with higher scores on knowledge of pain-entitlements reported fewer days of pain-related sickness absence (ß = -0.62; 95%CI [-1.14; -0.10]). The employees of managers with higher scores on pain-management were more likely to report low back pain (ß = 0.57; 95%CI [0.02; 1.11]). We found several key associations between the knowledge and behaviors measures and pain-related sickness absence (interactions). CONCLUSION: Managers' knowledge and behaviors in relation to employees' pain were associated with employees' future musculoskeletal pain and sickness absence. The relationships are complex, suggesting that a multifaceted approach is needed to ensure that managers are adequately informed on how to manage and accommodate employees with musculoskeletal pain to reduce sickness absence.

Designing industrial work to be 'just right' to promote health - a study protocol for a goldilocks work intervention.

BACKGROUND: The Goldilocks Work Principle expresses that productive work should be designed to promote workers' health. We recently showed that it is feasible to develop and implement modifications to productive work that change physical behaviors (i.e. sitting, standing and being active) in a direction that may promote health among industrial workers. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to conduct a cluster randomised controlled trial investigating health effects of implementing the Goldilocks Work intervention among industrial workers. METHODS: Our implementation plan consists of educating work teams, organizing implementation meetings, and providing feedback to workers. Three meetings with a preselected local workplace group will be scheduled. The first meeting educates the group to use a planning tool by which work can be planned to have 'just right' physical behaviors. The second and third meetings will focus on supporting implementation of the tool in daily work. An expected 28 clusters of work teams across two participating production sites will be randomized to either intervention or control group. Data collection will consist of 1) questionnaires regarding work and musculoskeletal health, 2) wearable sensor measurements of the physical behavior, and 3) assessment of general health indicators, including BMI, blood pressure, and fat percentage. The primary outcome is musculoskeletal health, measured by low back pain intensity, and secondary outcomes are 1) physical behaviors at work, 2) accumulated time in long bouts of sitting, standing, and being active and 3) perceived fatigue and energy during work. Furthermore, implementation and cost of the intervention will be evaluated based on questionnaires and data from the planning tool completed by the workers. DISCUSSION: This study will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a 12 - weeks Goldilocks Work intervention with the aim of improving musculoskeletal health among industrial workers. The cluster randomized controlled study design and the evaluation of the implementation, results and costs of the intervention will make it capable of contributing with valuable evidence of how productive work may be designed to promote industrial workers' health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial registration was assigned 10-09-2021 (ISRCTN80969503). https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN80969503.

Associations between perceived quantitative work demands at different organisational levels and pain and sickness absence in eldercare workers: a multi-level longitudinal analysis.

PURPOSE: Eldercare work is characterised by high quantitative work demands and high occurrence of musculoskeletal pain and sickness absence. Our aim was to investigate the association between quantitative demands aggregated at the different organizational levels of eldercare and low back pain (LBP) and sickness absence due to pain among workers. METHODS: This study was conducted in 527 eldercare workers from 105 wards across 20 nursing homes in Denmark. We collected workers' perceived quantitative demands at baseline and workers' LBP and sickness absence repeatedly over the following year. We aggregated worker-level quantitative demands to the ward and nursing home-levels, and used mixed-effects regression models to investigate the associations between quantitative demands at different organizational levels and LBP and sickness absence over 1 year. RESULTS: Across all models, increased quantitative demands (0-100 scale) at the worker-level was associated with an increased likelihood (OR 1.02) and intensity of LBP (ß = 0.01). We did not identify any associations between quantitative demands at the ward-level and either of our outcomes. Across all models, increased quantitative demands at the nursing home-level was associated with increased days with sickness absence due to pain (ß = 0.03 to 0.06). CONCLUSION: In eldercare, workers' perceived quantitative demands are associated with the presence and intensity of LBP. Further, quantitative demands across the overall nursing home-level are associated with sickness absence due to pain among eldercare workers. These results are of relevance to developing organisational interventions targeting quantitative demands to reduce sickness absence in eldercare.

Intensity of occupational physical activity in blue-collar workers: do self-reported rating and device-worn measurements agree?

PURPOSE: High intensity occupational physical activity (OPA) seem to aggravate health and increase risk of sick leave and early retirement. Most intensity of OPA monitoring has been self-reported, e.g. by rating of perceived exertion (RPE). However, no studies have investigated the precision and risk of bias in RPE reporting during free-living OPA. This study investigated the agreement between OPA intensity in percentage of the heart rate reserve (%HRR) estimated from RPE and device-measured heart rate (HR), and potential bias factors on this agreement. METHODS: The CR10 scale measured RPE at work. The Actiheart monitor measured HR during 24-h a day for 2-4 days. Both RPE and device-worn HR were converted to %HRR. The difference between both %HRR and their limits of agreement was determined in a Bland Altman plot. To detect bias factors, the difference between both %HRR was regressed on age, sex, cardiorespiratory fitness, occupational lifting, medication, consequences of musculoskeletal disorders and the interactions between these factors with device-work %HRR. RESULTS: Six hundred and twenty-three participants were included in the analysis. Mean difference between RPE-based and device-worn %HRR was 54.6% (SD 19.5). The limits of agreement were wide (11.6-90.1%HRR). Age (0.48%HRR, 95% CI 0.18-0.79) occupational lifting (9.84%HRR, 95% CI 3.85-15.83) and cardiorespiratory fitness (0.41%HRR, 95% CI 0.03-0.79) significantly biased the agreement between the estimations of OPA intensity. CONCLUSION: RPE overestimated OPA intensity, and was biased by several factors. Device-worn %HRR should be preferred when evaluating OPA intensity among workers with physically demanding jobs.

Can home care work be organized to promote musculoskeletal health for workers? Study protocol for the Norwegian GoldiCare cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Home care workers perform physically strenuous tasks, in particular when handling patients with high care demands. Thus, musculoskeletal pain and sick leave is greater in this group than in the general population. To ease these issues, we will implement a Goldilocks Work intervention (GoldiCare), redistributing schedules between workers to achieve a "just right" weekly structure of physical work that can promote health. This protocol paper describes the content, design, implementation and evaluation of the cluster randomized controlled trial of the GoldiCare intervention in home care. METHODS: The cluster randomized controlled trial is a 16-week workplace organizational intervention implemented through operations managers at the home care units. The operations managers will be introduced to the Goldilocks Work Principle and a GoldiCare tool, to assist the operations managers when composing a "just right" distribution of work schedules throughout the week. The GoldiCare tool provides an overview of the physical strain for each shift, based on the number of patients and their need for care. We expect to include 11 units, which will be randomized to either intervention or control at a 1:1 ratio. Home care workers assigned to the control group will continue to work as normal during the intervention period. Musculoskeletal pain in neck/shoulder and lower back will be the primary outcomes and we will also evaluate the composition of physical behaviors as well as fatigue after work as secondary outcomes. We will collect data using (1) daily questions regarding musculoskeletal pain and fatigue after work, (2) 7 days of objective measurements of physical behavior, (3) questionnaires about the participant's characteristics, health, and workplace psychosocial stressors and (4) information on the implementation of the GoldiCare tool. In addition, a process evaluation will be conducted using focus group discussions and individual interviews. DISCUSSION: Due to the increasing aging population in need of care, measures that can improve the health of home care workers are paramount for the sustainability of this sector. This organizational intervention is based on information available nation-wide, and therefore has the potential to be scaled to all municipalities in Norway if proven effective. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This clinical trial was registered on 08/05/2022 under NCT05487027 .

The physical activity paradox in cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: the contemporary Copenhagen General Population Study with 104 046 adults.

AIMS: Leisure time physical activity associates with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, while these relationships for occupational physical activity are unclear. We tested the hypothesis that leisure time physical activity associates with reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality risk, while occupational physical activity associates with increased risks. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 104 046 women and men aged 20-100 years in the Copenhagen General Population Study with baseline measurements in 2003-2014 and median 10-year follow-up. Both leisure and occupational physical activity were based on self-report with four response categories. We observed 7913 (7.6%) MACE and 9846 (9.5%) deaths from all causes. Compared to low leisure time physical activity, multivariable adjusted (for lifestyle, health, living conditions, and socioeconomic factors) hazard ratios for MACE were 0.86 (0.78-0.96) for moderate, 0.77 (0.69-0.86) for high, and 0.85 (0.73-0.98) for very high activity; corresponding values for higher occupational physical activity were 1.04 (0.95-1.14), 1.15 (1.04-1.28), and 1.35 (1.14-1.59), respectively. For all-cause mortality, corresponding hazard ratios for higher leisure time physical activity were 0.74 (0.68-0.81), 0.59 (0.54-0.64), and 0.60 (0.52-0.69), and for higher occupational physical activity 1.06 (0.96-1.16), 1.13 (1.01-1.27), and 1.27 (1.05-1.54), respectively. Similar results were found within strata on lifestyle, health, living conditions, and socioeconomic factors, and when excluding individuals dying within the first 5 years of follow-up. Levels of the two domains of physical activity did not interact on risk of MACE (P = 0.40) or all-cause mortality (P = 0.31). CONCLUSION: Higher leisure time physical activity associates with reduced MACE and all-cause mortality risk, while higher occupational physical activity associates with increased risks, independent of each other.

Physical Activity Advice for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Low Back Pain- Same or Different? A Study on Device-Measured Physical Activity and Register-Based Sickness Absence.

Purpose We lack knowledge on whether the advice of "being physically active" should be the same for prevention and rehabilitation of low back pain (LBP). Sickness absence is a key outcome for LBP prevention and rehabilitation. We investigated the associations between physical activity and long-term sickness absence (LTSA) among employees with and without LBP. Methods Between 2011 and 2013, 925 Danish employees wore a Actigraph GTX3 accelerometer for 1-5 workdays to measure physical activity and reported LBP in past 7 days. Employees were followed for 4 years to determine their first register-based LTSA event (≥ 6 consecutive weeks). Results Among employees with LBP, increasing moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity at work by 20 min and decreasing the remaining behaviors at work (ie., sitting, standing and light-intensity activity) by 20 min was associated with 38% (95% CI 17%; 63%) higher LTSA risk. Increasing light-intensity activity at work by 20 min and decreasing 20 min from the remaining behaviors was associated with 18% (95% CI 4%; 30%) lower risk. During leisure, increasing moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity by 20 min or standing by 40 min was associated with 26% (95% CI 3%; 43%) lower and 37% (95% CI 0%; 87%) higher risk, respectively. Among employees without LBP, we found no such associations. Conclusions The physical activity advice ought to be different for LBP prevention and rehabilitation to reduce LTSA risk, and specified by domain and activity intensity. At work, employees with LBP should be advised to spend time on light-intensity physical activity and limit their time on moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity. During leisure, employees should spend time on moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity.

The effect of leisure time physical activity and sedentary behaviour on the health of workers with different occupational physical activity demands: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Although it is generally accepted that physical activity reduces the risk for chronic non-communicable disease and mortality, accumulating evidence suggests that occupational physical activity (OPA) may not confer the same health benefits as leisure time physical activity (LTPA). It is also unclear if workers in high OPA jobs benefit from LTPA the same way as those in sedentary jobs. Our objective was to determine whether LTPA and leisure time sedentary behaviour (LTSB) confer the same health effects across occupations with different levels of OPA. METHODS: Searches were run in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, ProQuest Public Health and Scopus from inception to June 9, 2020. Prospective or experimental studies which examined the effects of LTPA or LTSB on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal pain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, arrhythmias and depression among adult workers grouped by OPA (low OPA/sitters, standers, moderate OPA/intermittent movers, high OPA/heavy labourers) were eligible. Results were synthesized using narrative syntheses and harvest plots, and certainty of evidence assessed with GRADE. RESULTS: The review includes 38 papers. Across all outcomes, except cardiovascular mortality, metabolic syndrome and atrial fibrillation, greater LTPA was consistently protective among low OPA, but conferred less protection among moderate and high OPA. For cardiovascular mortality and metabolic syndrome, higher levels of LTPA were generally associated with similar risk reductions among all OPA groups. Few studies examined effects in standers and none examined effects of LTSB across OPA groups. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests that LTPA is beneficial for all workers, but with larger risk reductions among those with low compared to high OPA jobs. This suggests that, in our attempts to improve the health of workers through LTPA, tailored interventions for different occupational groups may be required. More high-quality studies are needed to establish recommended levels of LTPA/LTSB for different OPA groups. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO # CRD42020191708 .

Number of steps and systolic blood pressure: Do work and leisure matter?

The number of steps per day influences blood pressure and health. However, the association between steps at work and leisure and blood pressure is unknown. Thus, we aimed to investigate the association between the domain-specific number of steps and systolic blood pressure. A thigh-worn accelerometer was used to measure the steps of 694 workers over 1-5 consecutive days, separated into work and leisure domains using a self-reported diary. We linearly regressed steps at work, leisure and total day against systolic blood pressure, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and antihypertensive medication. Additionally, we stratified the analyses on job type (blue-collar or white-collar). The results of this cross-sectional analysis indicated a beneficial association between the number of steps (per 2000-step interval) and systolic blood pressure for the total day (-0.5 mmHg; -1.0 to -0.8, 95% CI, p < 0.05) and work (-0.9 mmHg; -1.5 to -0.4, 95% CI, p < 0.05), but not for leisure (+0.1 mmHg; -0.7 to 0.9, 95% CI, p = 0.75). Blue-collar workers took almost twice as many steps at work (9143 ± SD3837) as white-collar workers (5863 ± SD3565) and, after stratification on job type, we observed a beneficial association between the number of steps at work and systolic blood pressure among blue-collar workers (-1.1 mmHg; -1.7 to -0.4, 95% CI, p < 0.05), but not for white-collar workers (-0.3 mmHg; -1.7 to 1.1, 95% CI, p = 0.7). These findings indicate that the number of steps at work, particularly among blue-collar workers, is beneficially associated with systolic blood pressure. Such findings support the potential of work (re)design to promote walking to improve blood pressure.