The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #60905

Sarah Boslaugh, PhD¹, Matthew W. Kreuter, PhD, MPH², Kim Naleid, BS², Nancy Weaver, MPH², and Ross C. Brownson, PhD³. (1) Health Communications Research Laboratory, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Ave, 4th floor, St. Louis, MO 63104, 314-977-4098, boslaugh@slu.edu, (2) Health Communication Research Laboratory, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63104, (3) Prevention Research Center, Saint Louis University School of Public Health, 3545 Lafayette Ave., Salus Center, St. Louis, MO 63104

Regular physical activity is known to be important in health promotion and disease prevention, yet most American adults are inactive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a series of guidelines that specify the amount of activity considered sufficient to promote health. The CDC measures used to assess moderate activity specifically exclude workplace activity, while the measures used to assess for walking specifically include it. There is no physiological reason for excluding workplace activity in one standard and including it in another, and the differing rules could result in differential classification of individuals with similar activity levels. Because work involving physical labor is more likely to be performed by adults of lower SES and by ethnic minorities, these guidelines could lead to differential misclassification. We analyzed the reported physical activity of 1104 adults in Metropolitan St. Louis, MO to examine how classification would differ when workplace activity was included in time performing moderate activities and when time spent walking at work was excluded from total time walking. We found 8.6% of individuals who failed to meet the CDC moderate activity standard met the standard when workplace activity was included, while 16.3% of those who met the walking standard failed to meet it when workplace walking was not counted. Individuals who changed classification under the walking standard were more likely to be White than Black (p=.027), and those who changed classification on the moderate activity standard were more likely to be male than female (p=.035).

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the CDC guidelines for including or excluding physical activity at work in calculating physical activity performed
• Describe the potential for misclassification of individuals under the current standards and the implications for public health practice

Keywords: CDC Guidelines, Exercise

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.