Journal of Epidemiology

Journal of Epidemiology

Volume 27, Issue 9, September 2017, Pages 401-407
Journal of Epidemiology

Original Article
Gender disparity in the associations of overweight/obesity with occupational activity, transport to/from work, leisure-time physical activity, and leisure-time spent sitting in working adults: A cross-sectional study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.je.2016.08.019Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Physical activity and sitting with overweight/obesity in employees were studied.

  • Heavy occupational activity had a lower overweight/obesity risk.

  • Active LTPA and cycling to work were associated with lower overweight/obesity risk.

  • Reducing leisure sitting time can reduce the risk of abdominal overweight/obesity.

  • The significant results were observed in male employees but not in females.

Abstract

Background

The associations of occupational activity (OA), commuting, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and sitting with overweight/obesity in working adults are controversial. This study explored these factors with the risk of overall and abdominal overweight/obesity in a Chinese working population and whether these associations differ by gender.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data analysis was done among 6739 employed participants. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the studied associations.

Results

For male employees, those with heavy OA had a lower overall (OR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62–0.93) and abdominal (OR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62–0.93) overweight/obesity risk than those with light OA. Those with LTPA ≥150 min/week had a lower risk of overall (OR 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56–0.96) and abdominal (OR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53–0.91) overweight/obesity than those with LTPA <150 min/week. Men with leisure-sitting time <2.5 h/day had a significantly lower risk of abdominal overweight/obesity than those sitting ≥4 h/day (OR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65–0.99). And men who cycled to/from work had a lower risk of overall (OR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53–0.90) and abdominal overweight/obesity (OR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54–0.92) than passive transports. However, the above significant associations disappeared among female employees.

Conclusions

Heavy OA, cycling to/from work, and LTPA were associated with lower risk of overall or abdominal overweight/obesity in male employees. Reducing leisure sitting time can also help male employees reduce the risk of abdominal overweight/obesity. More research on gender disparity in the risk of overweight and obesity should be done.

Keywords

Overweight/obesity
Occupational activity
Transport to/from work
Leisure-time physical activity
Leisure-time spent sitting

Cited by (0)

Peer review under responsibility of the Japan Epidemiological Association.