Daily physical activity among Finnish hybrid workers

Abstract Background Remote workdays have been found to associate with higher sedentary time than office workdays. This study was aimed to examine daily, occupational and non-occupational physical activity and sedentary time during office and remote workdays among Finnish hybrid workers. Methods University employees who were able to do they work also remotely were recruited to the study (n = 99, 84% women, 41±10 years). Participants wore Fibion SENS accelerometers on their thigh for 7 consecutive days, including 2 office and 2 remote workdays. Sedentary time (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during workdays were measured. Linear mixed model was used to study intra-individual differences in daily, occupational and non-occupational physical activity and sedentary time during office vs. remote workdays. Results Overall, remote workdays accumulated 44 minutes (95% confidence interval (CI) 25-64) more SED, 29 min (10-48) less LPA, and 15 min (11-20) less MVPA compared to office workdays. When focusing on working hours, remote worktime included 31 min (15-48) more occupational SED, 24 min (8-40) less occupational LPA, and 7 min (5-10) less occupational MVPA compared to the office worktime. During non-working time, 7 min (5-10) less non-occupational MVPA was accumulated during the remote workdays. Conclusions Remote workdays accumulated more SED and less MVPA compared to the office workdays. Because of the popularity of remote work, strategies to promote physical activity during remote workdays are warranted. Key messages • Remote work increases sedentary time. • Remote workers may be at risk for low physical activity.