Work-Time Physical Activity Tied to Ambulatory Blood Pressure

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Work-time, rather than leisure-time or nonworkday, activity behavior seems to be associated with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, according to a study published online Nov. 6 in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Jooa Norha, P.T., from the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland, and colleagues evaluated the associations between domain-specific activity behavior and 24-hour blood pressure. The analysis included 156 aging workers participating in the Finnish Retirement and Aging study. 

The researchers found that higher work-time sedentary behavior was associated with lower nighttime diastolic blood pressure (B = −0.92). Higher work-time standing was associated with higher daytime diastolic blood pressure (B = 1.34), while higher work-time light physical activity was associated with less diastolic blood pressure dipping (B = −3.57). Across domains, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was not associated with ambulatory blood pressure. 

“The associations between leisure-time or nonworkday activity behaviors and blood pressure were mostly nonsignificant, specifically highlighting the importance of occupational activity behavior as a determinant for blood pressure,” the authors write. “Large-scale studies with diverse occupations and age groups should be performed to confirm the results and guide future interventions.”

Abstract/Full Text