title: Employment and physical activity in the U.S.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical inactivity is a risk factor for obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and other chronic diseases that are increasingly prevalent in the U.S. and worldwide. Time at work represents a major portion of the day for employed people.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine how employment status (full-time, part-time, or not employed) and job type (active or sedentary) are related to daily physical activity levels in American adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were collected in 2003-2004 and analyzed in 2010. Physical activity was measured using Actigraph uniaxial accelerometers, and participants aged 20-60 years with ≥4 days of monitoring were included (N=1826). Accelerometer variables included mean counts/minute during wear time and proportion of wear time spent in various intensity levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In men, full-time workers were more active than healthy nonworkers (p=0.004), and in weekday-only analyses, even workers with sedentary jobs were more active (p=0.03) and spent less time sedentary (p<0.001) than nonworkers. In contrast with men, women with full-time sedentary jobs spent more time sedentary (p=0.008) and had less light and lifestyle intensity activity than healthy nonworkers on weekdays. Within full-time workers, those with active jobs had greater weekday activity than those with sedentary jobs (22% greater in men, 30% greater in women).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In men, full-time employment, even in sedentary occupations, is positively associated with physical activity compared to not working, and in both genders job type has a major bearing on daily activity levels.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Dane R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Van Domelen
authors.forename: Annemarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koster
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caserotti
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Brychta
authors.forename: Kong Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McClain
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Troiano
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berrigan
authors.forename: Tamara B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D009043:Motor Activity; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult