Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online Survey
<i>Background and purpose:</i> Physical inactivity and prolonged sitting have associations with adverse health. University office workers are at a high risk of psychological and pain issues. This study aimed to explore the differences in sitting time, levels of physical activity particip...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/12/1618 |
| _version_ | 1797504230976651264 |
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| author | Qian Sun Meiling Qi Wendy Moyle Cindy Jones Benjamin Weeks Zihui Xie Ping Li |
| author_facet | Qian Sun Meiling Qi Wendy Moyle Cindy Jones Benjamin Weeks Zihui Xie Ping Li |
| author_sort | Qian Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background and purpose:</i> Physical inactivity and prolonged sitting have associations with adverse health. University office workers are at a high risk of psychological and pain issues. This study aimed to explore the differences in sitting time, levels of physical activity participation, stress, depression, anxiety, and pain among university office workers in China and Australia. <i>Methods</i>: Online surveys were distributed to university office workers over 55 years at two universities in China and Australia, respectively. <i>Results</i>: A total of 185 participants completed the online survey (119 in China and 66 in Australia). Significant differences were found in sitting time during workdays between the two countries (<i>p</i> < 0.05) with a longer sitting time in the Australian respondents (7.5 h/day) than those in China (4.6 h/day). Additionally, there were also significant differences in terms of levels of depression and pain symptoms within the two countries (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The Australian respondents reported high levels of depression and pain (M = 7.38, SD = 5.86 and M = 3.65, SD = 2.21, respectively) than those in China (M = 5.71, SD = 4.87 and M = 1.89, SD = 1.89, respectively). The gender, education level, and sitting time of participants were found to be associated with pain scores (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A significant association between marital status and pain scores was found among the Australian respondents (<i>p</i> < 0.05). <i>Conclusions</i>: Future studies with a larger population are needed to validate the results and to further explore the association between physical activity participation and psychological wellbeing among university office workers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:01:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae492b7f2c4d4bae891a38c43c290b2d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:01:42Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae492b7f2c4d4bae891a38c43c290b2d2023-11-23T08:33:09ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322021-11-01912161810.3390/healthcare9121618Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online SurveyQian Sun0Meiling Qi1Wendy Moyle2Cindy Jones3Benjamin Weeks4Zihui Xie5Ping Li6School of Physical Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, ChinaSchool of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, ChinaMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, AustraliaMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, AustraliaMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, AustraliaSchool of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, ChinaSchool of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China<i>Background and purpose:</i> Physical inactivity and prolonged sitting have associations with adverse health. University office workers are at a high risk of psychological and pain issues. This study aimed to explore the differences in sitting time, levels of physical activity participation, stress, depression, anxiety, and pain among university office workers in China and Australia. <i>Methods</i>: Online surveys were distributed to university office workers over 55 years at two universities in China and Australia, respectively. <i>Results</i>: A total of 185 participants completed the online survey (119 in China and 66 in Australia). Significant differences were found in sitting time during workdays between the two countries (<i>p</i> < 0.05) with a longer sitting time in the Australian respondents (7.5 h/day) than those in China (4.6 h/day). Additionally, there were also significant differences in terms of levels of depression and pain symptoms within the two countries (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The Australian respondents reported high levels of depression and pain (M = 7.38, SD = 5.86 and M = 3.65, SD = 2.21, respectively) than those in China (M = 5.71, SD = 4.87 and M = 1.89, SD = 1.89, respectively). The gender, education level, and sitting time of participants were found to be associated with pain scores (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A significant association between marital status and pain scores was found among the Australian respondents (<i>p</i> < 0.05). <i>Conclusions</i>: Future studies with a larger population are needed to validate the results and to further explore the association between physical activity participation and psychological wellbeing among university office workers.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/12/1618health statusphysical activityuniversity workers |
| spellingShingle | Qian Sun Meiling Qi Wendy Moyle Cindy Jones Benjamin Weeks Zihui Xie Ping Li Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online Survey Healthcare health status physical activity university workers |
| title | Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online Survey |
| title_full | Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online Survey |
| title_fullStr | Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online Survey |
| title_short | Physical Activity Participation and Psychological Wellbeing in University Office Workers in China and Australia: An Online Survey |
| title_sort | physical activity participation and psychological wellbeing in university office workers in china and australia an online survey |
| topic | health status physical activity university workers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/12/1618 |
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