JavaScript is Disabled
Your browser's JavaScript functionality is disabled. It has to be enabled to use this function of ConfTool.
Here you can find information on how to enable JavaScript
If you have any problems, please contact the organisers at info@hepa2026.si.

Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Daily Overview

Session

WR1_1_2: Abstract presentations: Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Work and Education Settings
Location: White room 1
Session Chair: Sebastià Mas-Alòs

Presentation 2

1:55pm - 2:05pm

Leisure-time and commuting physical activity and subsequent sickness absence among young and early midlife employees: a register-linked follow-up study 2017–2020

Ville Päivärinne¹, Pi Fagerlund¹, Jouni Lahti^1,2, Ossi Rahkonen¹, Tea Lallukka¹

1: University of Helsinki, Finland; 2: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

Purpose

We examined leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and active commuting (AC) and their associations with subsequent sickness absence (SA) among young and early midlife employees.

Methods

The 2017 Helsinki Health Study survey among employees of the City of Helsinki aged 19–39 was prospectively linked to register-based data on total, short- and long-term sickness absence spells (2017–2020). LTPA (n=3,618) and AC (n=3,513) were assessed as weekly metabolic equivalent (MET) hours in 2017. LTPA was categorized into five groups based on intensity and weekly volume (inactivity, moderate, moderate-to-vigorous, vigorous and high vigorous) and AC into four groups (inactive, low moderate, moderate-to-vigorous, vigorous). Analyses were stratified by gender and adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors using negative binomial regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

Women had more SA than men (135 vs 97 days per 10 person-years; p<0.001). Women with moderate-to-vigorous LTPA had, compared to the inactive, lower rates of total SA (IRR 0.69, 95% CI 0.60–0.80) short SA and long SA after full adjustments for covariates. Men with vigorous LTPA remained protective in total SA days (IRR 0.60, 95% CI 0.44–0.81) and short SA spells after adjustment. For AC, protective associations were observed only among women.

Conclusion

LTPA including vigorous-intensity activity was associated with lower SA over the follow-up, although patterns differed by gender and activity level. Associations for AC were weaker and confirmed for women only. Vigorous-intensity physical activity may be beneficial for reducing SA already in early working life.