title: Office workers' objectively assessed total and prolonged sitting time: Individual-level correlates and worksite variations.
abstract: Sedentary behavior is highly prevalent in office-based workplaces; however, few studies have assessed the attributes associated with this health risk factor in the workplace setting. This study aimed to identify the correlates of office workers' objectively-assessed total and prolonged (≥ 30 min bouts) workplace sitting time. Participants were 231 Australian office workers recruited from 14 sites of a single government employer in 2012-13. Potential socio-demographic, work-related, health-related and cognitive-social correlates were measured through a self-administered survey and anthropometric measurements. Associations with total and prolonged workplace sitting time (measured with the activPAL3) were tested using linear mixed models. Worksites varied significantly in total workplace sitting time (overall mean [SD]: 79% [10%] of work hours) and prolonged workplace sitting time (42% [19%]), after adjusting for socio-demographic and work-related characteristics. Organisational tenure of 3-5 years (compared to tenure > 5 years) was associated with more time spent in total and prolonged workplace sitting time, while having a BMI categorised as obese (compared to a healthy BMI) was associated with less time spent in total and prolonged workplace sitting time. Significant variations in sitting time were observed across different worksites of the same employer and the variation remained after adjusting for individual-level factors. Only BMI and organisational tenure were identified as correlates of total and prolonged workplace sitting time. Additional studies are needed to confirm the present findings across diverse organisations and occupations.
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Nyssa T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Hadgraft
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, School of Public Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Genevieve N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; The University of Queensland, School of Public Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Neville
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, School of Public Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Elisabeth A H
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Cancer Council Victoria, Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Brigid M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Parneet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sethi
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, School of Public Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Eakin
authors.affiliation: Centre for Population Health Research, School of Health & Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Marj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moodie
authors.affiliation: Centre for Population Health Research, School of Health & Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: LaMontagne
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Glen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wiesner
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Willenberg
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; The University of Queensland, School of Public Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia; School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Dunstan
keywords: Determinants; Sedentary behavior; Workplace