Physical activity surveillance in the United States for work and commuting

Abstract

Objective: To summarize and describe the current US surveillance systems that assess physical activity (PA) for work and commuting. Methods: An expert group conducted an environmental scan, generating a list (n=18) which was ultimately reduced to 12, based on the inclusion of PA and/or sedentary behavior data. Results: The 12 surveys or surveillance systems summarized provide nationally representative data on occupational-level PA or individual-level PA at work, data on active commuting, some are scorecards that summarize workplace health best practices and allow benchmarking, and one is a comprehensive nationally representative survey of employers assessing programs and practices in different worksites. Conclusions: The various surveillance systems and surveys/scorecards are disparate and need to be better analyzed and summarized to understand the impact of occupational-level PA and commuting on population health and well-being, life expectancy, and workforce productivity.