Objective Assessment of Physical Activity in the Workplace Setting

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the Physical Activity Level (PAL) of government employees at government agencies in Kangar Perlis, Malaysia, by using an accelerometer as an objective measurement. Respondents were chosen randomly and required to wear the accelerometer for three days. Socio-demographic data were obtained by questionnaire and anthropometric measurements, Body Fat Percentage (BF%) and blood pressure were assessed using standard procedures. A 8-12 h fasting venous blood sample was taken for analysis of plasma glucose, lipid profile and 2 h Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). A total of 272 respondents were recruited for this study (151 males and 121 females), with a mean age of 39±11 years. About 44.9% of the respondents were categorized as active to vigorously active based on PAL, whereas 55.1% were sedentary. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in age (p<0.0001), Body Mass Index (BMI) (p<0.0001), WC (p<0.0001), BF% (p<0.0001), diastolic blood pressure (p<0.05), 2 h plasma glucose and HDLC between the active and sedentary PAL groups. Logistic regression analyses of accelerometer-determined PAL showed that increasing BMI (OR = 0.841, 95% CI = 0.714, 0.990), WC (OR = 0.969, 95% CI = 0.944, 0.995), BF% (OR = 0.907, 95% CI = 0.875, 0.940) and diastolic blood pressure (OR = 0.953, 95% CI = 0.921, 0.987) were related to lower levels of PAL. In contrast, increasing HDLC levels (OR = 7.814, 95% CI = 2.603, 23.456) were related to higher levels of PAL. This study shows the significant contribution of physical activity to health status. HDLC levels increased as PAL increased and PAL was inversely associated with BMI, WC, BF% and diastolic blood pressure.