Effect of Employment Status on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Long-Term Post-Bariatric Surgery

Introduction Inactivity and weight regain are serious problems post-bariatric surgery. Nearly half of waking time is spent at work, representing an opportunity to accumulate physical activity and help avoid weight regain. Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate potential differences in physical activity and sedentary time by employment status post-bariatric surgery. Methods A total of 48 adults (employed ( n = 19), unemployed ( n = 29)) aged 50.7 ± 9.4 years, BMI = 34.4 ± 10.1 kg/m 2 , and 10 ± 3 years post-surgery participated. ActivPAL accelerometers measured transitions, steps, and sedentary time for 7 days. Results Participants worked on average 8.7 ± 1.8 h/day. Twenty-one percent of employed met step/day guidelines on work-days compared to 10% of unemployed. Employed persons transitioned from sitting-to-standing more on work-days (58.6 ± 17.8) than unemployed (45.0 ± 15.4). Employment status did not influence activity or sedentarism on weekend/non-working-days. Conclusion Employment status may be associated with meaningful improvements in activity post-bariatric surgery.