Occupational activity and health: Dilemmas and conundrums

Symposium B4

Authors

  • Luciana Torquati University of Exeter
  • Pieter Coenen VU University Medical Center
  • Bart Cillekens VU University Medical Centre
  • Tracy L. Kolbe-Alexander University of Southern Queensland
  • Gregore I. Mielke University of Queensland
  • Wendy J. Brown University of Queensland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.477

Keywords:

Occupational Health, Methodology, Activity Patterns, Diet

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this symposium is to discuss the challenges of assessing associations between occupational activity and health outcomes.

Description: This symposium will provide an overview of the current state of the evidence on associations between occupational activity and health outcomes. The presenters will provide different perspectives on methodological challenges and important factors that confound and mediate the associations between occupational activity and health.

Chair: Professor Wendy J. Brown. Introduction to Symposium.

Presenter 1: Dr. Pieter Coenen and Dr. Bart Cillekens. The association of occupation physical activity and health: An umbrella review for the WHO PA guideline review committee. This talk will provide an overarching view on the plethora of health effects associated with occupational activity, including all-cause mortality, non-communicable diseases, osteoarthritis, adiposity, sleep quality, and quality of life.

Presenter 2: A/Prof. Tracy L. Kolbe-Alexander. "Patterns of physical activity during and outside work". This talk will focus on movement pattern analyses to understand physical activity and potential compensatory behaviours on work and non-work days.

Presenter 3: Dr. Luciana Torquati. "Dietary intake, occupational activity, and health" . This presentation will discuss the roles that dietary intake and quality play in the relationship between occupational activity and health outcomes.

Presenter 4: Dr. Gregore I. Mielke. "Methodological aspects of occupational activity research". This presentation will discuss the challenges of assessing physical activity at work/outside work, including strengths and limitations of different data collection and analysis methods.

Interactive discussion: the presenters will form a “Q and A” style panel to answer questions from delegates (posted on-line) and engage in debate about the most contentious issues in this field, moderated by the Chair.

Results: Occupational activity plays a role in health outcomes, but there can be both negative and positive associations. Conflicting results reflect different methods and analyses, failure to account for multiple confounders (including PA outside work, diet, and other risk factors), and the increased risk of injury associated with some very active occupations.

Conclusions: The associations between occupational activity and health outcomes are unclear. Holistic and multidisciplinary approaches are required, acknowledging that these are complex relationships that may not be generalisable to all occupations in all countries.

Published

2021-09-30

How to Cite

Torquati, L., Coenen, P., Cillekens, B., Kolbe-Alexander, T. L., Mielke, G. I., & Brown, W. J. (2021). Occupational activity and health: Dilemmas and conundrums: Symposium B4. The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.477