Activity level and body mass index as predictors of physical workload during working career

Abstract The increasing prevalence of inactivity and obesity, along with aging, have implications on work capacity of labor force. This study reports the relationships between activity level and BMI by age with objectively measured physical workload. Data was examined from a sample of 19 481 Finnish employees using an estimate of minute-to-minute oxygen consumption based on R-R interval recordings. The mean estimated %VO2max during the working day was 12.1 (±3.6) and 15.1 (±4.5)% for men and women, respectively. Based on a linear model, the mean %VO2max increased by 1.5%-unit per 10-year increase in age, by 2.1%-unit per 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI, and decreased by 1.6%-unit if improving physical activity class by two (p