Time spent sitting during and outside working hours in bus drivers: a pilot study

Abstract

This cross-sectional pilot study objectively measured sedentary and non-sedentary time in a sample of bus drivers from the East Midlands, United Kingdom. Participants wore an activPAL3 inclinometer for 7days and completed a daily diary. Driver's blood pressure, heart rate, waist circumference and body composition were measured objectively at the outset. The proportions of time spent sedentary and non-sedentary were calculated during waking hours on workdays and non-workdays and during working-hours and non-working-hours on workdays. 28 (85% of those enrolled into the study) provided valid objective monitoring data (89.3% male, [median±IQR] age: 45.2±12.8years, BMI 28.1±5.8kg/m2). A greater proportion of time was spent sitting on workdays than non-workdays (75% [724±112min/day] vs. 62% [528±151min/day]; p<0.001), and during working-hours than non-working-hours (83% [417±88min/day] vs. 68% [307±64min/day]; p<0.001) on workdays. Drivers spent less than 3% of their overall time stepping. Bus drivers accumulate high levels of sitting time during working-hours and outside working-hours. Interventions are urgently needed in this at-risk group, which should focus on reducing sitting and increasing movement during breaks and increasing physical activity during leisure time to improve cardiovascular health.