A tool for measuring workers' sitting time by domain: the Workforce Sitting Questionnaire
- 22 September 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by BMJ in British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Vol. 45 (15), 1216-1222
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2011-090214
Abstract
Background Sitting time is an emerging health risk, and many working adults spend large amounts of time sitting each day. It is important to have reliable and accurate measurement tools to assess sitting time in different contexts. Objective To validate the Workforce Sitting Questionnaire (WSQ), an adapted measure of total and domain-specific sitting time based on work and non-workdays for use in working adults. Methods A convenience sample (N=95, 63.2% women) was recruited from two workplaces and by word-of-mouth in Sydney, Australia. Participants completed the WSQ, which asked about sitting time (1) while travelling to and from places; (2) while at work; (3) while watching TV; (4) while using a computer at home; and (5) while doing other leisure activities on work and non-workdays on two occasions, 7 days apart. Participants also wore an accelerometer for the 7 days between test and retest. They recorded the times they wore the accelerometer, the days they worked and their work times in a logbook. Analyses determined test-retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and assessed criterion validity against accelerometers using Spearman's r and Bland-Altman plots. Results Measuring total sitting time based on a workday, non-workday and on average had fair to excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=0.46-0.90) and had sufficient criterion validity against accelerometry in women (r=0.22-0.46) and men (r=0.18-0.29). Measuring domain-specific sitting at work on a workday was also reliable (ICC=0.63) and valid (r=0.45). Conclusions The WSQ has acceptable measurement properties for measuring sitting time at work on a workday and for assessing total sitting time based on work and non-workdays. This questionnaire would be suitable for use in research investigating the relationships between sitting time and health in working populations.This publication has 29 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Descriptive Epidemiology of SittingAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2011
- Long-Term Sedentary Work and the Risk of Subsite-specific Colorectal CancerAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2011
- Sedentary Behaviors and Health Outcomes Among AdultsAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2011
- Occupational Sitting and Health RisksAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2010
- Advances in Population Surveillance for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: Reliability and Validity of Time Use SurveysAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2010
- Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of US AdultsAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2010
- Millennials and the World of Work: The Impact of Obesity on Health and ProductivityJournal of Business and Psychology, 2010
- Validity and reliability of measures of television viewing time and other non‐occupational sedentary behaviour of adults: a reviewObesity Reviews, 2008
- Temporal trends in physical activity in England: The Health Survey for England 1991 to 2004Preventive Medicine, 2007
- Physical activity and sedentary behavior: A population-based study of barriers, enjoyment, and preference.Health Psychology, 2003