A cross-sectional study of leisure time low-intensity physical activity and presenteeism among Japanese workers

Introduction : Presenteeism, defined as the reduced work performance of employees who attend work while ill, has recently emerged as a significant public health issue.Previous studies have suggested that continued presenteeism leads to future absenteeism and other adverse health outcomes.While evidence suggests that moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) can prevent presenteeism, the effect of low-intensity physical activity (LPA) on presenteeism is unclear.This study examined the cross-sectional association between LPA during leisure time and the prevalence of presenteeism.Methods : Data were derived from 11,438 workers of five companies who participated in a questionnaire survey in 2018-2021 as part of the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health study.Physical activity (PA) during leisure time was assessed using a questionnaire on the frequency and time spent per session for each intensity.Presenteeism was assessed using a single question in which participants self-rated their work performance on a scale ranging from 10 to 100%, with scores of 60 defined as presenteeism.Missing data was completed using multiple imputation.Poisson regression was used to examine the association between the combined LPA and MVPA variables and presenteeism while adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and work-related factors.Results : Compared with those who did not engage in any intensity of PA, those who did not engage in MVPA but with LPA 60 minutes/week had a significantly lower prevalence of presenteeism in the adjusted model (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.74, 95% confidence interval = 0.69-0.81),comparable to those who engaged in MVPA but without LPA, or engaged in MVPA & LPA < 60 minutes/week, or engaged in MVPA & LPA 60 minutes/week (PR = 0.73, 0.75, 0.73, respectively).Conclusions : Among those who did not engage in MVPA, LPA was found to be favorably associated with presenteeism.