Ann Med. 2026 Dec;58(1):2638086. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2026.2638086. Epub 2026 Mar 5.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Insufficient physical activity (PA) and low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are risk factors for lifestyle diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle plays a major role in shaping CRF and overall health, and professional work is an important part of this.
AIMS: To examine associations between the type of work, industry, level of education, weekly working hours, and self-reported PA, CRF, pulmonary function using questionnaire-based assessment, submaximal exercise testing, and spirometry.
METHODS: A survey was conducted on occupation, hours worked per week, night shift work, education, age, and gender, as well as a PA survey based on the IPAQ-SF. The Åstrand-Rhyming fitness test was used to estimate VO2max. Spirometry was performed to assess pulmonary function, with results including FVC, FEV1, and the FEV1/FVC ratio. The group consisted of 203 professionally active adults aged 40-70 (55.17% men, 39.41% blue-collar workers, mean age: 53.4).
RESULTS: Blue-collar workers reported higher self-reported weekly PA (p = 0.0003), and this result was significant for men (p = 0.0003). White-collar workers had higher estimated VO2max (p = 0.0467), but when stratified by gender, only female blue-collar workers had lower values than female white-collar workers (p = 0.0142). Among industries the lowest self-reported weekly PA values were observed in male representatives of the professionals group, and the highest in agriculture and forestry workers.
CONCLUSIONS: Among men, blue-collar workers reported higher self-reported weekly PA than white-collar workers, with no significant differences in estimated VO2max. Among women, blue-collar workers did not report higher self-reported PA but had lower estimated VO2max than white-collar women. These differences are small and should be interpreted cautiously.
PMID:41784294 | DOI:10.1080/07853890.2026.2638086