Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Physical activity, job demand–control, perceived stress–energy, and salivary cortisol in white-collar workers

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the present study is to examine the association between physical activity and perceived job demand, job control, perceived stress and energy, and physiological arousal reflected by morning and evening concentrations of cortisol in saliva among white-collar workers.

Methods

Physical activity during the last week was assessed during work and leisure time by a Danish version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and saliva samples were collected. The study group comprised 389 white-collar workers, aged 25–67 years, and of which 257 were women.

Results

We found that physical activity during leisure time was associated with higher perceived energy, and for men also with lower perceived stress. Further, we found that physical activity at leisure time affected the association between salivary cortisol and perceived stress and energy so that respondents being physically active at leisure time and perceiving higher energy showed higher evening saliva cortisol.

Conclusion

Physically active employees perceive less stress and more energy. The association between stress–energy and salivary cortisol was affected by vigorous physical activity. No association between job control–demand and the degree of physical activity was found. Based on the present data, we recommend office workers—exposed to high job strain and inactivity at the job—to perform physical activity, preferably of high intensity, in order to reduce stress and increase energy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aardal-Eriksson E, Eriksson TE, Holm A-C, Lundin T (1999) Salivary cortisol and serum prolactin in relation to stress rating scales in a group of rescue workers. Biol Psychiatry 46:850–855

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Alderling M, Theorell T, de La TB, Lundberg I (2006) The demand control model and circadian saliva cortisol variations in a Swedish population based sample (The PART study). BMC Public Health 6:288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali SM, Lindstrom M (2006) Psychosocial work conditions, unemployment, and leisure-time physical activity: a population-based study. Scand J Public Health 34(2):209–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett GG, Wolin KY, Avrunin JS, Stoddard AM, Sorensen G, Barbeau E et al (2006) Does race/ethnicity moderate the association between job strain and leisure time physical activity? Ann Behav Med 32(1):60–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernaards CM, Jans MP, van den Heuvel SG, Hendriksen IJ, Houtman IL, Bongers PM (2006) Can strenuous leisure time physical activity prevent psychological complaints in a working population? Occup Environ Med 63(1):10–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blangsted AK, Søgaard K, Hansen EA, Hannerz H, Sjøgaard G (2008) One-year randomized controlled trial with different physical-activity programs to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and shoulders among office workers. Scand J Work Environ Health 34(1):55–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Brisson C, Larocque B, Moisan J, Vézina M, Dagenais GR (2000) Psychosocial factors at work, smoking, sedentary behavior, and body mass index: a prevalence study among 6995 white collar workers. J Occup Environ Med 42(1):40–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cook NJ, Read GF, Walker RF, Harris B, Riad-Fahmy D (1986) Changes in adrenal and testicular activity monitored by salivary sampling in males throughout marathon runs. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 55(6):634–638

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Craig CL, Marshall AL, Sjöström M, Bauman AE, Booth ML, Ainsworth BE et al (2003) International Physical Activity Questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Med Sci Sports Exerc 35(8):1381–1395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danish National Board of Health (2003) Befolkningens motivation og barrierer for fysisk aktivitet (Motivation and barriers for being physical active among the Danish population) (report in Danish)

  • Ekkekakis P, Hall EE, VanLanduyt LM, Petruzzello SJ (2000) Walking in (affective) circles: can short walks enhance affect? J Behav Med 23(3):245–275

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evans O, Steptoe A (2001) Social support at work, heart rate, and cortisol: a self-monitoring study. J Occup Health Psychol 6(4):361–370

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fleshner M (2005) Physical activity and stress resistance: sympathetic nervous system adaptations prevent stress-induced immunosuppression. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 33(3):120–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey H (1982) The endocrine response to physical activity. Scand J Soc Med Suppl 29:71–75

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garde AH, Hansen ÅM, Nikolajsen TB (2003a) An inter-laboratory comparison for determination of cortisol in saliva. Accredit Qual Assur 8(1):16–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garde AH, Hansen ÅM, Nikolajsen TB (2003b) An inter-laboratory comparison for determination of cortisol in saliva. Accredit Qual Assur 8(1):16–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hagströmer M, Oja P, Sjöström M (2005) The international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ): a study of concurrent and construct validity. Public Health Nutr 9(6):755–762

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen ÅM, Garde AH, Christensen JM, Eller NH, Netterstrøm B (2003) Evaluation of a radio-immunoassay and establishment of a reference interval for salivary cortisol in healthy subjects in Denmark. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 63:303–310

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harris A, Ursin H, Murison R, Eriksen HR (2007) Coffee, stress and cortisol in nursing staff. Psychoneuroendocrinology 32:322–330

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haskell WL, Lee IM, Pate RR, Powell KE, Blair SN, Franklin BA et al (2007) Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Circulation 116(9):1081–1093

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hellerstedt WL, Jeffery RW (1997) The association of job strain and health behaviours in men and women. Int J Epidemiol 26(3):575–583

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson CA, Corrigan SA, Dubbert PM, Gramling SE (1990) Perceived barriers to exercise and weight control practices in community women. Women Health 16(3–4):177–191

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karasek R (1979) Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: implications for job redesign. Adm Sci Q 24:285–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiilavuori K, Naveri H, Leinonen H, Harkonen M (1999) The effect of physical training on hormonal status and exertional hormonal response in patients with chronic congestive heart failure. Eur Heart J 20(6):456–464

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirschbaum C, Strasburger CJ, Jammers W, Hellhammer D (1989) Cortisol and behavior. 1. Adaptation of a radioimmunoassay kit for reliable and inexpensive salivary cortisol determination. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 34:747–751

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kjellberg A, Iwanowski S (1989) Stress/Energi-formuläret: Utveckling av en metod för skattning av sinnesstämning i arbetet, 26. National Institute of Occupational Health, Stockholm, pp 1–21

  • Kjellberg A, Wadman C (2002) Subjektiv stress och dess samband med psykosociala förhållanden och besvär—En prövning av Stress–Energi-modellen. In: Marklund S (ed) 12, pp 1–32. Arbetslivsinstitutet, Arbete och Hälsa, Stockholm. http://www.biblioteket.stockholm.se/default.asp?id=8227&extras=852342%2FID

  • Kjellberg A, Wadman C (2007) The role of the affective stress response as a mediator of the effect of psychosocial risk factors on musculoskeletal complaints. Part 1. Assembly workers. Int J Ind Ergon 37(4):367–374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kouvonen A, Kivimaki M, Elovainio M, Virtanen M, Linna A, Vahtera J (2005) Job strain and leisure-time physical activity in female and male public sector employees. Prev Med 41(2):532–539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kristensen TS, Hannerz H, Høgh A, Borg V (2005) The Copenhagen Questionnaire—a tool for the assessment and improvement of the psychosocial work environment. Scand J Work Environ Health 31(6):438–449

    Google Scholar 

  • Lallukka T, Sarlio-Lahteenkorva S, Roos E, Laaksonen M, Rahkonen O, Lahelma E (2004) Working conditions and health behaviours among employed women and men: the Helsinki Health Study. Prev Med 38(1):48–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landsbergis PA, Schnall PL, Deitz DK, Warren K, Pickering TG, Schwartz JE (1998) Job strain and health behaviors: results of a prospective study. Am J Health Promot 12(4):237–245

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meriwether RA, McMahon PM, Islam N, Steinmann WC (2006) Physical activity assessment: validation of a clinical assessment tool. Am J Prev Med 31(6):484–491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niedhammer I, Chastang JF, David S (2008) Importance of psychosocial work factors on general health outcomes in the national French SUMER survey. Occup Med (Lond) 58(1):15–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen NR, Kjoller M, Kamper-Jorgensen F, Gronbaek MN (2004) Stress among working population of Danes. Ugeskr Laeger 166(46):4155–4160

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris R, Carroll D, Cochrane R (1990) The effects of aerobic and anaerobic training on fitness, blood pressure, and psychological stress and well-being. J Psychosom Res 34(4):367–375

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norris R, Carroll D, Cochrane R (1992) The effects of physical activity and exercise training on psychological stress and well-being in an adolescent population. J Psychosom Res 36(1):55–65

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Penedo FJ, Dahn JR (2005) Exercise and well-being: a review of mental and physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Curr Opin Psychiatry 18(2):189–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollard TM, Ungpakorn G, Harrison GA, Parkes KR, Pollard TM (1996) Epinephrine and cortisol responses to work: a test of the models of Frankenhaeuser and Karasek. Ann Behav Med 18(4):229–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ranjit N, Young EA, Kaplan GA (2005) Material hardship alters the diurnal rhythm of salivary cortisol. Int J Epidemiol 34(5):1138–1143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rimmele U, Zellweger BC, Marti B, Seiler R, Mohiyeddini C, Ehlert U et al (2007) Trained men show lower cortisol, heart rate and psychological responses to psychosocial stress compared with untrained men. Psychoneuroendocrinology 32(6):627–635

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Russell JA (1980) A circumplex model of affect. J Pers Social Psychol 39(6):1161–1178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlotz W, Hellhammer J, Schulz P, Stone AA (2004) Perceived work-overload and chronic worrying predict weekend-weekday differences in the cortisol awakening response. Psychosom Med 66:207–214

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sluiter JK, Frings-Dresen MH, van der Beek AJ, Meijman TF, Heisterkamp SH (2000a) Neuroendocrine reactivity and recovery from work with different physical and mental demands. Scand J Work Environ Health 26(4):306–316

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sluiter JK, Frings-Dresen MHW, Meijman TF, van der Beek AJ (2000b) Reactivity and recovery from different natures of work measured by catecholamines and cortisol: a systematic literature overview. Occup Environ Med 57:298–315

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steptoe A, Cropley M, Griffith J, Kirschbaum C (2000) Job strain and anger expression predict early morning elevations in salivary cortisol. Psychosom Med 62(2):286–292

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Eck M, Berkhof H, Nicolson N, Sulon J (1996) The effects of perceived stress, traits, mood states, and stressful daily events on salivary cortisol. Psychosom Med 58(5):447–458

    Google Scholar 

  • van Loon AJ, Tijhuis M, Surtees PG, Ormel J (2000) Lifestyle risk factors for cancer: the relationship with psychosocial work environment. Int J Epidemiol 29(5):785–792

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westgard JO, Barry PL, Hunt MR, Groth T (1981) A multi-rule Shewhart chart for quality control in clinical chemistry. Clin Chem 27(3):493–501

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeier H (1994) Workload and psychophysiological stress reactions in air traffic controllers. Ergonomics 37:525–539

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study was financially supported by funding from the Ministry of Culture Committee on Sports Research N200310016 and the National Board of Health under the Ministry of the Interior and Health. The contribution in terms of man power allowing 600 employees to train during work time for 1 h/week for 1 year was given by the workplace involved. Dorte Ekner, Klaus Hansen, Ulla Tegner, Anne Abildtrup, and Dorrit Meincke are acknowledged for technical support, data collection, collection of biological samples, and chemical analyses.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Centre for the Working Environment, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Åse Marie Hansen, Anne Katrine Blangsted, Karen Søgaard & Gisela Sjøgaard

  2. Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Åse Marie Hansen

  3. Department of Physical Performance, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway

    Ernst Albin Hansen

  4. Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Karen Søgaard & Gisela Sjøgaard

Authors
  1. Åse Marie Hansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anne Katrine Blangsted
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ernst Albin Hansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Karen Søgaard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Gisela Sjøgaard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Åse Marie Hansen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hansen, Å.M., Blangsted, A.K., Hansen, E.A. et al. Physical activity, job demand–control, perceived stress–energy, and salivary cortisol in white-collar workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 83, 143–153 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-009-0440-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-009-0440-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation