Methods for Characterization of Day-to-Day Intra-Individual Variation in 24-Hour Physical Behaviors

Abstract

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS: We present methods to characterize individual day-to-day variation in physical behaviors, either by assessing variation in one behavior in isolation or multiple behaviors simultaneously. These methods could be used in future studies to evaluate the health implications of variation in occupational exposures. For example, the method presented for characterizing variation in a single behavior can be used to investigate how day-to-day variation in time spent standing relates to risks of developing musculoskeletal pain. However, it may be that the health risks associated with variation in one occupational exposure (e.g., standing) depend on the variation in other occupational exposures (e.g., sitting). The method presented for assessing variation in multiple behaviors could facilitate the exploration of such research questions. This method could also be used by practitioners to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed to enhance variation in workplaces.