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