Home office shift and sedentary behaviour in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic: descriptives and related socioecological correlates

Abstract

COVID-19 working restrictions resulted in a location shift of white-collar workers into their home office (HO). Little is known about how the proportion of HO affects sitting and physical activity (PA) behaviour during working hours, and potential correlates are not well understood. A cross-sectional sample of currently working adults in HO (n = 575) completed questionnaires regarding HO proportion before and during the pandemic, work-related sitting and PA, and socioecological factors regarding HO sitting time. The reported HO proportion increased by 46.7 ± 40.6% during COVID-19 working restrictions. Workday sitting proportion correlates positively with HO proportion. The regression model identified gender, education level, working hours, working environment to stand during work, and transport and leisure PA as correlates of the workday sitting proportion in HO. This study provides findings that high HO proportions are related to higher work-related sitting times and adds insights into possible correlates of sitting time in HO.

Practitioner summary: Working in the home office (HO) is a common characteristic of flexible work in white-collar workers. This study found that the workday sitting proportion correlates positively with HO proportion and identified correlates of the workday sitting in HO. Practitioners should consider the potential impacts of HO on work-related sedentary behaviour in future workplace health promotion.

Keywords:

• Remote work
• sedentary behaviour
• correlates
• physical activity
• working from home

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data are available on request by the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The data collection was supported by ERGO Insurance Group AG (http://www.ergo.com/). Data analysis and the preparation of the manuscript were funded by own institutional resources.