Does race/ethnicity moderate the association between job strain and leisure time physical activity?

Abstract

Background: Racial/ethnic minorities report myriad barriers to regular leisure time physical activity (LTPA), including the stress and fatigue resulting from their occupational activities.

Purpose: We sought to investigate whether an association exists between job strain and LTPA, and whether it is modified by race or ethnicity.

Methods: Data were collected from 1,740 adults employed in 26 small manufacturing businesses in eastern Massachusetts. LTPA and job strain data were self-reported. Adjusted mean hours of LTPA per week are reported.

Results: In age and gender adjusted analyses, reports of job strain were associated with LTPA. There was a significant interaction between job strain and race or ethnicity (p = .04). Whites experiencing job strain reported 1 less hr of LTPA per week compared to Whites not reporting job strain. Collectively, racial/ethnic minorities reporting job strain exhibited comparatively higher levels of LTPA compared to their counterparts with no job strain, although patterns for individual groups did not significantly differ.

Conclusions: Job strain was associated with LTPA in a lower income, multiethnic population of healthy adult men and women. The association between job strain and LTPA was modified by race or ethnicity, highlighting the importance of investigating the differential effects of psychosocial occupational factors on LTPA levels by race or ethnicity.

FIGURE 1

Adjusted mean hours of physical activity per week jointly by race/ethnicity and job strain (n = 1,430). (Adjusted for education, managerial status, heavy occupational physical activity, and race/ethnicity.)