College of Health

Occupational activity may contribute significantly to daily physical activity (PA). The 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) surveillance cycles provide an opportunity to evaluate the amount of daily PA in occupational categories. Population estimates of accelerometer-derived PA variables were compared for men and women (n=1112 and n=1501) working the 40 and 22 occupational categories in the 2003–2004 and 2005–2006 NHANES, and used to classify the occupational categories: high, intermediate, and low activity groupings based on total daily PA. There was a strong association between occupational category and total daily PA. Labor jobs were generally high active, while office jobs were generally low active. Men had more moderate-to-vigorous activity than women in all activity groupings. Presenting objectively measured PA from a large representative sample with a variety of occupations provides previously unquantifiable information about the daily PA levels of people employed in different occupational categories.