Effect of Employment Status on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Long-Term Post-Bariatric Surgery.

Introduction: Inactivity and weight regain are serious problems post-bariatric surgery. Nearly half of waking time is spent at work, representing an opportunity to accumulate physical activity and help avoid weight regain.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate potential differences in physical activity and sedentary time by employment status post-bariatric surgery.

Methods: A total of 48 adults (employed (n = 19), unemployed (n = 29)) aged 50.7 ± 9.4 years, BMI = 34.4 ± 10.1 kg/m, and 10 ± 3 years post-surgery participated. ActivPAL accelerometers measured transitions, steps, and sedentary time for 7 days.

Results: Participants worked on average 8.7 ± 1.8 h/day. Twenty-one percent of employed met step/day guidelines on work-days compared to 10% of unemployed. Employed persons transitioned from sitting-to-standing more on work-days (58.6 ± 17.8) than unemployed (45.0 ± 15.4). Employment status did not influence activity or sedentarism on weekend/non-working-days.

Conclusion: Employment status may be associated with meaningful improvements in activity post-bariatric surgery.