The relationship between physical activity and work ability – A cross-sectional study of teachers

Abstract

Objectives: To assess relationship between physical activity (PA) and perceived work ability amongst teachers from the Upper Silesia, Poland. Material and Methods: The study involved 171 teachers (129 women, 42 men) of primary and secondary schools of the Upper Silesia, Poland. Physical education teachers were excluded from the study. The level of PA was estimated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version, and perceived work ability was estimated using Work Ability Index (WAI). Results: Male teachers had significantly higher levels of vigorous-intensity PA, moderateintensity PA, and total weekly PA than female teachers. The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) met 46% of studied women and 74% of men. Work ability did not differ between male and female teachers. Work ability was related to age, body mass index (BMI), and PA (vigorous-intensity PA, moderate-intensity PA, total weekly PA). The female teachers with excellent or good WAI had significantly higher levels of vigorous-intensity PA, moderate-intensity PA and total weekly PA than female teachers with moderate or poor WAI. Conclusions: The teachers involving in high or moderate intensity PA could improve their work ability. Further studies should focus on relation between physical activity and work ability among teachers of various age and seniority, from both, urban and rural schools. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(1):1-9

The association between occupational physical activity, psychosocial factors and perceived work ability among nurses

“…Nursing tasks generally involve high levels of OPA, such as stair climbing and walking while pushing wheelchairs (Kucera et al., 2019; Stricevic & Papez, 2015), which might lead to lower PWA levels for nurses (Oliv, Noor, Gustafsson, & Hagberg, 2017). However, the relationship between OPA and PWA among nurses is unclear in the current literature, which is characterized by inconsistent findings (Chappel, Verswijveren, Aisbett, Considine, & Ridgers, 2017; Grabara, Nawrocka, & Powerska‐Didkowska, 2018; Wilke, Ashton, Elis, Biallas, & Frobose, 2015).…”

Improving the Safety–Performance Nexus: A Study on the Moderating and Mediating Influence of Work Motivation in the Causal Link between Occupational Health and Safety Management (OHSM) Practices and Work Performance in the Oil and Gas Sector

“…It is as well expected that the appropriate supporting work environment can promote work engagements, trigger work motivation, and enhance work performance [ 92 , 93 , 94 ]. This is also similar to the SDT, which describes the relationship between motivational mechanisms and job engagements among employees [ 61 , 62 ]. Based on this empirical evidence, the study opines that providing incentives for safety compliance and safety participation can drive work motivation and enhance productivity.…”

“…The Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS) which was developed and built on the concept of SDT was adopted as the work motivation variable. The SDT has been used to study the relationship between motivational mechanisms and job engagements among employees [ 61 , 62 ]. Unlike most previous motivation measurement scales built on the SDT, thus; assessing why employees do an activity through the rating of statements describing the several types of behaviours, [ 63 , 64 , 65 ]; this current MWMS focuses more on assessing why employees “would” or “do” put a certain degree of efforts into their work.…”

Patterns of physical activity and exercise after lumbar surgery among Japanese patients with lumbar spinal stenosis

“…PA is also significantly correlated with HRQOL, including in those aged <65 years 7) . Moreover, PA is associated with various work-related factors such as low work ability 8) , perceived stress at work 9) , and receiving disability pension 10) . A relationship between PA and back pain has also been established; workers with extremely high or low PA are more likely to complain of low back pain (LBP), while workers with moderate PA are the least likely to complain of LBP 11) .…”