Associations between trunk flexion and physical activity of patient care workers for a single shift: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Trunk flexion and occupational physical activity are parameters that have been used to assess and characterize jobs with high physical demands. OBJECTIVE: Characterize the physical load of trunk flexion and physical activity of patient care unit (PCU) workers during a single work shift. METHODS: Participants wore an accelerometer to measure physical activity and an inclinometer to assess trunk flexion during a single work shift, which was compared using correlation and linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Participants spent 74% of their work time upright between - 10° to 20° and 19% of their time flexed between 20° to 45°. On average workers spent 3% and 5% of their time, in the extreme postures of less than - 10° and greater than 45°, respectively. Participants spent 99% of their shift below moderate and vigorous activity. The largest correlation found was between the number of forward trunk flexions to 20° degrees per shift and minutes in lifestyle activity (r = 0.6, p < 0.001). No correlations between minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity and trunk flexion were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the physical demands of patient care unit workers as measured through trunk flexion are associated with lifestyle and light levels of physical activity.

Physical activity levels at work and outside of work among commercial construction workers.

OBJECTIVE: Characterize the number of minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activities at work and outside of work during seven consecutive days, in a sample of 55 commercial construction workers. METHODS: Workers wore accelerometers during work and outside-of-work hours for seven consecutive days and completed brief survey at the seventh day of data collection. RESULTS: From the directly measured physical activity, the average number per participant of moderate minutes of occupational physical activity and physical activity outside of work obtained in short bouts were 243 minutes (65%) and 130 minutes (35%), respectively. Directly measured minutes of vigorous occupational physical activity were significant and positively correlated with self-reported fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Among commercial construction workers, physical activity from work contributes significantly, approximately two thirds, toward a worker's total amount of weekly minutes of moderate physical activity.

Physical activity at work contributes little to patient care workers' weekly totals.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the number of minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity at work in comparison to weekly total minutes in a pilot study of 50 hospital patient care workers. METHODS: Workers wore accelerometers during work and nonwork hours for 7 days, and completed surveys at the end of the seventh day. RESULTS: Although the participants reported on average 206 minutes of moderate activity at work, the accelerometers recorded on average 30 minutes of moderate activity at work. For the 7 days the accelerometers measured a total of 165 minutes of moderate activity. Self-reported fatigue and functional limitations were negatively correlated albeit weakly with measured minutes of vigorous activity outside of work. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity at work on patient care units contributes a small fraction to these workers' weekly totals, and in turn meeting guidelines.