Physical Activity Surveillance in the United States for Work and Commuting: Understanding the Impact on Population Health and Well-being

Laurie P Whitsel; Frederique Huneycutt; David R Anderson; Alan M Beck; Cedric Bryant; Rebecca S Bucklin; Russell L Carson; Anne L Escaron; Jammie M Hopkins; Mary T Imboden; Christina McDonough; Nicolaas P Pronk; Janet R Wojcik; Anna Zendell; Elizabeth Ablah

doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000002305

Physical Activity Surveillance in the United States for Work and Commuting: Understanding the Impact on Population Health and Well-being

J Occup Environ Med. 2021 Dec 1;63(12):1037-1051. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002305.

Authors

Laurie P Whitsel¹, Frederique Huneycutt, David R Anderson, Alan M Beck, Cedric Bryant, Rebecca S Bucklin, Russell L Carson, Anne L Escaron, Jammie M Hopkins, Mary T Imboden, Christina McDonough, Nicolaas P Pronk, Janet R Wojcik, Anna Zendell, Elizabeth Ablah

Affiliation

¹ Department of American Heart Association, Washington, DC (Dr Whitsel); The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita, Kansas (Huneycutt, Dr Ablah); VisioNEXT, Saint Paul, Minnesota (Dr Anderson); Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri (Dr Beck); American Council on Exercise, San Diego, California (Dr Bryant); University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa (Ms Bucklin); PlayCore, Chattanooga, Tennessee (Dr Carson); AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Los Angeles, California (Dr Escaron); Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Hopkins); Health Enhancement Research Organization, Raleigh; North Carolina and George Fox University, Newberg, Oregon (Dr Imboden); Scott County Health Department, Davenport, Iowa (McDonough); HealthPartners Institute, Bloomington, Minnesota (Dr Pronk); Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina (Dr Wojcik); Excelsior College, Albany, New York (Dr Zendell).

PMID: 34238906
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002305

Abstract

Objective: To summarize and describe the current US surveillance systems that assess physical activity (PA) for work and commuting.

Methods: An expert group conducted an environmental scan, generating a list (n = 18) which was ultimately reduced to 12, based on the inclusion of PA and/or sedentary behavior data.

Results: The 12 surveys or surveillance systems summarized provide nationally representative data on occupational-level PA or individual-level PA at work, data on active commuting, some are scorecards that summarize workplace health best practices and allow benchmarking, and one is a comprehensive nationally representative survey of employers assessing programs and practices in different worksites.

Conclusions: The various surveillance systems and surveys/scorecards are disparate and need to be better analyzed and summarized to understand the impact of occupational-level PA and commuting on population health and well-being, life expectancy, and workforce productivity.

MeSH terms

Exercise*
Humans
Population Health*
Sedentary Behavior
Transportation
United States
Workplace