The Role of the Workplace in Promoting (or Hindering) Physical Activity Outside of Work

Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 10:00 AM PT, 1:00 PM ET

Resources:

Presentation Slides
Naturally Occurring Workplace Facilities to Increase the Leisure Time Physical Activity of Workers: A Propensity-Score Weighted Population Study
Changes in Work Factors and Concurrent Changes in Leisure Time Physical Activity: A 12-year Longitudinal Analysis
Access to Showers and Change Rooms at Work Associated With Active Commuting Among Older Workers: Findings From a National Population Survey

The workplace provides an ideal setting for physical activity promotion as >15 million Canadians spend half their days at work. Yet, working lives and time spent at work can also represent barriers to physical activity participation outside work hours. In this presentation, Dr. Avi Biswas presents findings from three studies that highlight how workplaces can influence physical activity outside of work.

You will learn:

Examples of physical activity-promoting measures commonly found in Canadian workplaces
Key components of occupations that can facilitate leisure time physical activity levels
The challenges workers can face in participating in physical activity outside of work

Take-home messages

Canadian workplaces have a wide range of physical activity-promoting facilities available to them to promote greater physical activity in their workforce
There are specific working conditions and time use factors that are likely to promote or impede worker participation in physical activity outside work
Based on their sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, certain workers are more likely to fall through the gaps in terms of efforts to promote physical activity

Hosted by

Avi Biswas, PhD

Associate Scientist, Institute for Work & Health, and Assistant Professor, University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Dr. Avi Biswas is an associate scientist at the Institute for Work & Health and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Dr. Biswas holds a Ph.D. in Health Services Research from the University of Toronto, and he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in workplace health promotion and epidemiology at the Institute for Work & Health. Dr. Biswas conducts health promotion research at the intersection of work and health. His emerging research program includes examining patterns of physical activity at work and outside of work and the associated cardiometabolic benefits; how work factors contribute to physical activity outside of work; and research to inform efforts to integrate workplace health promotion with occupational health and safety in Canadian workplaces.

The Work Wellness Institute is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®. This program is valid for 1 PDC for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org.