Clinical trial NCT06723808: Physical Activity and Work Ability in University Staff
Official title: Relationship Between Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Work Ability in University Staff With Different Occupational Demands: A Cross-Sectional Study With a Gender Perspective
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Conditions: Work Ability
Keywords: Physical Activity
Working Conditions
Recreational Activities
Sedentary Behavior
Gender Perspective
Lead sponsor: University of Alcala
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-12-09
Enrollment: 876
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: OTHER
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The study will include staff members from the University of Alcalá, specifically those belonging to the PDI (teaching and research staff) and PTGAS (administrative and service staff) categories. Participants will be selected from various departments within the university. The population will consist of employees who are able to understand Spanish and who meet the inclusion criteria for the study, focusing on those with a range of job roles and occupational demands. This diverse group allows for an examination of the relationship between physical activity, work ability, and other health-related variables across different occupational contexts within the university setting.

Brief summary: The goal of this observational study is to explore the relationship between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and work ability in university staff, with a focus on occupational physical activity (OPA) and gender. The main question it aims to answer is:

How does leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) influence work ability in university staff, considering their occupational physical activity (OPA) and gender?

Participants from the University of Alcalá will complete an online survey, which includes sociodemographic data and validated questionnaires on LTPA, OPA, work ability, musculoskeletal disorders, health-related quality of life, and workload.

Detailed description: Introduction: 39.17% of the population in the Autonomous Community of Madrid (CAM) does not meet the physical activity recommendations set by the World Health Organization, representing a significant public health issue and considerable socioeconomic costs. Sex, gender, and working conditions are key determinants of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). However, there are few studies aimed at understanding these sociocultural barriers.

Objective: To describe the association between LTPA and work ability, depending on occupational physical activity (OPA), among university staff in CAM, with a gender perspective. Secondly, to describe the relationship between the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders at work, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical and mental workload, functional capacity, and working conditions with the aforementioned association.

Methodology: Cross-sectional descriptive study. The study population will consist of a representative sample of 885 workers from the University of Alcalá (Alcalá de Henares, Madrid), selected by snowball non-probability sampling. Participants will complete an ad hoc form (Microsoft Forms) including sociodemographic data (working hours, type of service, main task, income, menopause, etc.) and validated questionnaires in Spanish. The variables collected through these questionnaires will include LTPA and OPA (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire), work ability (Work Ability Index), prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders at work (Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire), HRQoL (SF-12), and physical and mental workload (NASA Task Load Index).

Discussion: Improving understanding of the social determinants of physical activity in this population could facilitate the design of culturally sensitive interventions, thus making them more effective in reducing the economic and health costs of sedentary behavior.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* University staff from different departments of the University of Alcalá who are able to understand Spanish.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Individuals with cognitive limitations that hinder their ability to comprehend information, respond to questionnaires, or consent to participation in the study.
* Individuals with neurological impairments or a diagnosis of severe mental illness.
* Individuals with uncontrolled cardiorespiratory diseases or diabetes.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Leisure-Time Physical Activity (LTPA)
timeFrame: At the same time as the recruitment
measure: Occupational Physical Activity (OPA)
timeFrame: At the same time as the recruitment
measure: Work Ability
timeFrame: At the same time as the recruitment
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Work-Related and Daily Activity Injuries
timeFrame: At the same time as the recruitment
measure: Physical and Mental Workload
timeFrame: At the same time as the recruitment
measure: Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL)
timeFrame: At the same time as the recruitment
Other outcomes:
measure: Sociodemographic Data
timeFrame: At the same time as the recruitment
Locations:
city: Alcala de Henares
country: Spain
facility: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. University of Alcalá
state: Madrid
city: Alcalá de Henares
country: Spain
facility: University of Alcala
state: Madrid
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Alcala. Phsyiotherapy in women's health research group.
name: María Torres Lacomba, PhD, MSc, PT
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: University of Alcala. Phsyiotherapy in women's health research group.
name: Beatriz Navarro Brazález, PhD, MSc, PT
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
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