An Exploratory Study on the Physical Activity Health Paradox—Musculoskeletal Pain and Cardiovascular Load during Work and Leisure in Construction and Healthcare Workers

Suzanne Lerato Merkus, Pieter Coenen, Mikael Forsman, Stein Knardahl, Kaj Bo Veiersted and Svend Erik Mathiassen
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Suzanne Lerato Merkus: Research Group for Work Psychology and Physiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Pb 5330 Majorstuen, 0304 Oslo, Norway
Pieter Coenen: Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Mikael Forsman: Division of Ergonomics, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Halsovägen 11C, 141 57 Huddinge, Sweden
Stein Knardahl: Research Strategy, National Institute of Occupational Health, Pb 5330 Majorstuen, 0304 Oslo, Norway
Kaj Bo Veiersted: Research Group for Work Psychology and Physiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Pb 5330 Majorstuen, 0304 Oslo, Norway
Svend Erik Mathiassen: Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Occupational Health Sciences and Psychology, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gavle, Sweden

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Using a novel approach, this exploratory study investigated whether the physical activity (PA) paradox extends to cardiovascular load and musculoskeletal pain. At baseline, 1–2 days of 24 h heart rate was assessed in 72 workers from construction and healthcare. Workers then reported pain intensity in 9 body regions (scale 0–3) every 6 months for two years. The 2 year average of musculoskeletal pain (sum of 9 pain scores; scale 0–27) was regressed on time spent during work and leisure above three thresholds of percentage heart rate reserve (%HRR), i.e., ≥20 %HRR, ≥30 %HRR, and ≥40 %HRR, using a novel ilr structure in compositional data analysis. Analyses were stratified for several important variables. Workers spending more time in physical activity at work had higher pain, while workers with more time in physical activity during leisure had less pain (i.e., the PA paradox), but none of the associations were statistically significant. Higher aerobic capacity and lower body mass index lowered the pain score among those with higher physical activity at work. This exploratory study suggests that the PA paradox may apply to musculoskeletal pain and future studies with larger sample sizes and additional exposure analyses are needed to explain why this occurs.

Keywords: cardiovascular load; physically demanding work; musculoskeletal disorders; compositional data analysis; healthcare sector; construction industry; occupational physical activity; leisure time physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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