Contribution of non-locomotive activity to habitual physical activity in Japanese workers

Abstract

Pedometers are frequently used to measure habitual physical activity (PA). However, non-locomotive PA may constitute a substantial part of total PA in workers engaged in certain occupations. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relative contribution of non-locomotive PA to total habitual PA in Japanese workers. Subjects were 177 Japanese males and females. Occupations of the subjects were preschool (kindergarten and nursery school) teachers, salespersons, drivers, licensed cooks, security guards, housewives, garbage collectors and office workers. Light PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and step counts were assessed using a triaxial accelerometer (Active style Pro HJA-350IT, Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd), which allowed for an accurate discrimination between locomotive and non-locomotive PA. The non-locomotive component of MVPA predominated in licensed cooks and garbage collectors, while security guards displayed more locomotive MVPA. The non-locomotive component of light PA predominated in preschool teachers, salespersons, licensed cooks and housewives, while security guards displayed more locomotive light PA. Relative contributions of non-locomotive PA were different among occupations. The present study suggests that locomotor measurements alone might substantially underestimate habitual PA in workers engaged in certain occupations (e.g., licensed cooks and garbage collectors).