Physical activity and body mass index: the contribution of age and workplace characteristics

Details

• Personal Author:
  Allen, James ; Buxton OM ; Caban-Martinez, Alberto J. ; Hashimoto DM ; Hopcia K ; Kenwood CT ; Nelson CC ; Sabbath EL ; Sorensen, Glorian ; Wagner, Gregory R.
• Description:
  Background: The workplace is an important domain for adults, and many effective interventions targeting physical activity and weight reduction have been implemented in the workplace. However, the U.S. workforce is aging, and few studies have examined the relationship of BMI, physical activity, and age as they relate to workplace characteristics. Purpose: This paper reports on the distribution of physical activity and BMI by age in a population of hospital-based healthcare workers and investigates the relationships among workplace characteristics, physical activity, and BMI. Methods: Data from a survey of patient care workers in two large academic hospitals in the Boston area were collected in late 2009 and analyzed in early 2013. Results: In multivariate models, workers reporting greater decision latitude (OR=1.02, 95% CI=1.01, 1.03) and job flexibility (OR=1.05, 95% CI=1.01, 1.10) reported greater physical activity. Overweight and obesity increased with age (p<0.01), even after adjusting for workplace characteristics. Sleep deficiency (OR¼1.56, 95% CI¼1.15, 2.12) and workplace harassment (OR¼1.62, 95% CI¼1.20, 2.18) were also associated with obesity. Conclusions: These findings underscore the persistent impact of the work environment for workers of all ages. Based on these results, programs or policies aimed at improving the work environment, especially decision latitude, job flexibility, and workplace harassment should be included in the design of worksite-based health promotion interventions targeting physical activity or obesity. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Behavior Body Weight Decision Making Health Personnel Health Promotion Occupational Health Safety Sleep Sleep Initiation And Maintenance Disorders Surveys And Questionnaires Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Age-factors Body-regions Body-weight Decision-making Health-care-personnel Health-programs Health-surveys Humans Physical-exercise Physical-fitness Sleep-deprivation Total-Worker-Health Work-analysis Work-environment Work-operations Work-practices Worker-health Workplace-studies

  More +
• ISSN:
  0749-3797
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Illinois ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  46
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043803
• Citation:
  Am J Prev Med 2014 Mar; 46(3)(Suppl 1):S42-S51
• Contact Point Address:
  Candace C. Nelson, ScD, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115
• Email:
  cnelson@hsph.harvard.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20070901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Preventive Medicine
• Supplement:
  1
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f3969b89877f1cd14b416da2b081f918c75ea7036d06fad2dc1a51b23555f5c09cf703db168a3763a8066d81b51668da21c2e7b30277e5c48720937aa3c3bf87
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199697/cdc_199697_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 156.20 KB ]