Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gender differences in quality of life, physical activity, and risk of hypertension among sedentary occupation workers

  • Published:
Quality of Life Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to explore gender differences among sedentary occupation workers with regard to their quality of life (QoL), physical activity, and risk for high blood pressure, and to identify factors associated with QoL.

Methods

A convenience sample of 2562 employees from randomly selected ten ministries in Kuwait completed self-administered questionnaires. Collected data included employees’ socio-demographic characteristics, levels of QoL (using World Health Organization QoL-Brief tool), and physical activity (using the New Zealand Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form), and anthropometric measures of weight, height, and blood pressure. Multinomial regression analysis, Chi-square, ANOVA, and student’s t tests were implemented. A p value of 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Participants’ mean age was 35.3 years. QoL mean scores were total QoL (74.7), physical health (81.1), psychological health (75.4), social relationship (71.1), and environment (70.8). Females showed worse level of QoL, better physical activity, and higher prevalence of hypertension relative to males. Multinomial regression analysis revealed that female gender, low educational attainability, poor income, high job ranks, shorter working years, obesity, physical inactivity, hypertension, or having at least one chronic illness significantly correlated to fair and poor QoL.

Conclusion

Sedentary occupation workers reported modest level of QoL and were at high risk of hypertension. Socio-demographic factors, physical activity, and health status were correlated to QoL. Gender differences existed in QoL, physical activity, and risk of hypertension. Improving employees’ QoL through adopting strategies to promote healthy lifestyle in work settings should be activated. Further studies are recommended to explore cultural factors that drive gender differences in QoL.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Health Organization. (2004). Measuring quality of life. Retrieved August 15, 2020 from https://www.who.int/healthinfo/survey/whoqol-qualityoflife/en/.

  2. Megari, K. (2013). Quality of life in chronic disease patients. Health Psychology Research, 1(3), e27. https://doi.org/10.4081/hpr.2013.e27.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Thorp, A. A., Healy, G. N., Winkler, E., Clark, B. K., Gardiner, P. A., Owen, N., & Dunstan, D. W. (2012). Prolonged sedentary time and physical activity in workplace and non-work contexts: A cross-sectional study of office, customer service and call center employees. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9(1), 128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Parry, S., & Straker, L. (2013). The contribution of office work to sedentary behaviour associated risk. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Beunza, J. J., Martínez-González, M. Á., Ebrahim, S., Bes-Rastrollo, M., Núnez, J., Martínez, J. A., & Alonso, Á. (2007). Sedentary behaviors and the risk of incident hypertension: The SUN cohort. American Journal of Hypertension, 20(11), 1156–1162.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Katzmarzyk, P. T., Church, T. S., Craig, C. L., & Bouchard, C. (2009). Sitting time and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(5), 998–1005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Choi, B., Schnall, P. L., Yang, H., Dobson, M., Landsbergis, P., Israel, L., et al. (2010). Sedentary work, low physical job demand, and obesity in US workers. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 53(11), 1088–1101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lin, T., Courtney, T. K., Lombardi, D. A., & Verma, S. K. (2015). Association between sedentary work and BMI in a US national longitudinal survey. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 49(6), e117–e123.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Pi-Sunyer, X. (2009). The medical risks of obesity. Postgraduate Medicine, 121(6), 21–33.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. McLaren, L. (2007). Socioeconomic status and obesity. Epidemiologic Reviews, 29(1), 29–48.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. WHO (World Health Organization). (2013). A global brief on hypertension. Silent killer, global public health crisis. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/79059.

  12. Bosu, W. K. (2016). Determinants of mean blood pressure and hypertension among workers in West Africa. International Journal of Hypertension, 2016, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3192149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Bardage, C., & Isacson, D. G. (2001). Hypertension and health-related quality of life: An epidemiological study in Sweden. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 54(2), 172–181.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Xu, X., Rao, Y., Shi, Z., Liu, L., Chen, C., & Zhao, Y. (2016). Hypertension impact on health-related quality of life: A cross-sectional survey among middle-aged adults in Chongqing, China. International Journal of Hypertension. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7404957.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Azevedo, M. R., Araújo, C. L. P., Reichert, F. F., Siqueira, F. V., da Silva, M. C., & Hallal, P. C. (2007). Gender differences in leisure-time physical activity. International Journal of Public Health, 52(1), 8–15.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Al Othaimeen, A. I., Al Nozha, M., & Osman, A. K. (2007). Obesity: An emerging problem in Saudi Arabia. Analysis of data from the national nutrition survey. EMHJ-Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 13(2), 441–444.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kelishadi, R., Alikhani, S., Delavari, A., Alaedini, F., Safaie, A., & Hojatzadeh, E. (2008). Obesity and associated lifestyle behaviours in Iran: Findings from the first national non-communicable disease risk factor surveillance survey. Public Health Nutrition, 11(3), 246–251.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Rashidy-Pour, A., Malek, M., Eskandarian, R., & Ghorbani, R. (2009). Obesity in the Iranian population. Obesity Reviews, 10(1), 2–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Hurley, B., & Reuter, I. (2011). Aging, physical activity, and disease prevention. Journal of Aging Research, 2011, 782546. https://doi.org/10.4061/2011/782546.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Tsai, S. (2012). A study of the health-related quality of life and work-related stress of white-collar migrant workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9, 3740–3754.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Yurtçiçek, S., Şahin, N., Turan, M., Günaydın, C., Çakmak, F., Güler, A., et al. (2016). Physical activity level and quality of life among white-collar workers in Istanbul, Turkey. Journal of Nursing Care,5, 4(Suppl).

  22. World Health Organization. (2004). The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF. Retrieved August 15, 2020 from https://www.who.int/mental_health/publications/whoqol/en/.

  23. Mackay, L. M., Schofield, G. M., & Schluter, P. J. (2007). Validation of self-report measures of physical activity: A case study using the New Zealand physical activity questionnaire. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 78(3), 189–196.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Topouchian, J., Agnoletti, D., Blacher, J., Youssef, A., Chahine, M. N., Ibanez, I., et al. (2014). Validation of four devices: Omron M6 comfort, omron HEM-7420, withings BP-800, and polygreen KP-7670 for home blood pressure measurement according to the European society of hypertension international protocol. Vascular Health and Risk Management, 10, 33–44.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Allen, M. (2017). The sage encyclopedia of communication research methods (Vols. 1–4). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  26. Greenland, P., & Peterson, E. (2017). The new 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines “up the pressure” on diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. JAMA, 318(21), 2083–2084.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Sabbah, I., Drouby, N., Sabbah, S., Retel-Rude, N., & Mercier, M. (2003). Quality of life in rural and urban populations in Lebanon using SF-36 health survey. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 1(1), 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-1-30.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Lee, Y., & Shinkai, S. (2003). A comparison of correlates of self-rated health and functional disability of older persons in the far east: Japan and Korea. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 37(1), 63–76.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Tsai, S., Chi, L., Lee, L., & Chou, P. (2004). Health-related quality of life among urban, rural, and island community elderly in Taiwan. Journal of the Formosan Medical Association = Taiwan Yi Zhi, 103(3), 196–204.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Zarezadeh, Y., Eskandari, N., Moradi, M., & Abdi, N. (2020). The relationship between health literacy and quality of life of employees in campus of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Journal of Health Literacy, 4(4), 38–45.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Lam, C. L. K., Guo, V. Y., Wong, C. K. H., Yu, E. Y. T., & Fung, C. S. C. (2017). Poverty and health-related quality of life of people living in Hong Kong: Comparison of individuals from low-income families and the general population. Journal of Public Health, 39(2), 258–265.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Edwards, J. A., Van Laar, D., Easton, S., & Kinman, G. (2009). The work-related quality of life scale for higher education employees. Quality in Higher Education, 15(3), 207–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Aripin, S. N., & Puteh, F. (2017). Financial wellness and quality of life among young employees. Journal of Administrative Science Special Edition: Socio-Economic Issue, 14(3), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Ahmad, M., Maon, S. N., & Aziz, N. I. S. A. (2018). The relationship between job stress and quality of life among working adults. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2nd Advances in Business Research International Conference, In: Noordin F., Othman A., Kassim E. (eds) Proceedings of the 2nd Advances in Business Research International Conference. Springer, Singapore. pp. 261–270. Retrieved September 05, 2020 from https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6053-3_25.

  35. Lippke, S., Wienert, J., Kuhlmann, T., Fink, S., & Hambrecht, R. (2015). Perceived stress, physical activity and motivation: Findings from an internet study. Annals of Sports Medicine and Research, 2(1), 1012.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Sharara, E., Akik, C., Ghattas, H., & Obermeyer, C. M. (2018). Physical inactivity, gender and culture in Arab countries: A systematic assessment of the literature. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 639.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Al Zenki, S., Al Omirah, H., Al Hooti, S., Al Hamad, N., Jackson, R. T., Rao, A., et al. (2012). High prevalence of metabolic syndrome among kuwaiti adults—a wake-up call for public health intervention. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9(5), 1984–1996.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Ahmed, F., Waslien, C., Al-Sumaie, M. A., Prakash, P., & Allafi, A. (2013). Trends and risk factors of hyperglycemia and diabetes among Kuwaiti adults: National nutrition surveillance data from 2002 to 2009. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 103.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Alarouj, M., Bennakhi, A., Alnesef, Y., Sharifi, M., & Elkum, N. (2013). Diabetes and associated cardiovascular risk factors in the state of Kuwait: The first national survey. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 67(1), 89–96.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Gill, D. L., Hammond, C. C., Reifsteck, E. J., Jehu, C. M., Williams, R. A., Adams, M. M., et al. (2013). Physical activity and quality of life. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 46(Suppl 1), S28–S34.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Kokandi, A. A., Alkhalaf, J. S., & Mohammedsaleh, A. (2019). Quality of life in relation to the level of physical activity among healthy young adults at Saudi Arabia. Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal, 12(1), 281–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Booth, F. W., Roberts, C. K., & Laye, M. J. (2011). Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases. Comprehensive Physiology, 2(2), 1143–1211.

    Google Scholar 

  43. González, K., Fuentes, J., & Márquez, J. L. (2017). Physical inactivity, sedentary behavior and chronic diseases. Korean Journal of Family Medicine, 38(3), 111–115.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  44. Durstine, J. L., Gordon, B., Wang, Z., & Luo, X. (2013). Chronic disease and the link to physical activity. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2(1), 3–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. van Uffelen, J. G., Wong, J., Chau, J. Y., Van Der, P., Hidde, P., Riphagen, I., et al. (2010). Occupational sitting and health risks: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 39(4), 379–388.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Twinamasiko, B., Lukenge, E., Nabawanga, S., Nansalire, W., Kobusingye, L., Ruzaaza, G., & Bajunirwe, F. (2018). Sedentary lifestyle and hypertension in a Periurban area of mbarara, south western uganda: A population based cross sectional survey. International Journal of Hypertension, 2018, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/8253948.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Dubey, M., Choudhary, Y., Bhatia, P., & Naik, G. P. (2018). Prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among office employees working at BSNL and LIC offices of Bhopal City. Ijcmph, 5, 2476–2479.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Pimenta, F. B., Bertrand, E., Mograbi, D. C., Shinohara, H., & Landeira-Fernandez, J. (2015). The relationship between obesity and quality of life in Brazilian adults. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00966.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  49. Taylor, V. H., Forhan, M., Vigod, S. N., McIntyre, R. S., & Morrison, K. M. (2013). The impact of obesity on quality of life. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 27(2), 139–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Katz, D. A., McHorney, C. A., & Atkinson, R. L. (2000). Impact of obesity on health-related quality of life in patients with chronic illness. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 15(11), 789–796.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  51. Koolhaas, C. M., Dhana, K., Schoufour, J. D., Ikram, M. A., Kavousi, M., & Franco, O. H. (2017). Impact of physical activity on the association of overweight and obesity with cardiovascular disease: The Rotterdam study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 24(9), 934–941.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  52. Warburton, D. E., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: The evidence. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174(6), 801–809.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Recommendations and interventions to decrease physical inactivity at work. (2020, June 04). Retrieved September 25, 2020 from http://oshwiki.eu/index.php?title=Recommendations_and_interventions_to_decrease_physical_inactivity_at_work.

  54. Weiderpass, E., Botteri, E., Longenecker, J. C., Alkandari, A., Al-Wotayan, R., Al Duwairi, Q., & Tuomilehto, J. (2019). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in an adult Kuwaiti population in 2014. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 10, 449. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00449.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Van der Wilk, E. A., & Jansen, J. (2005). Lifestyle-related risks: Are trends in Europe converging? Public Health, 119(1), 55–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Bensimhon, D. R., Kraus, W. E., & Donahue, M. P. (2006). Obesity and physical activity: A review. American Heart Journal, 151(3), 598–603.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Pietiläinen, K. H., Kaprio, J., Borg, P., Plasqui, G., Yki-Järvinen, H., Kujala, U. M., et al. (2008). Physical inactivity and obesity: A vicious circle. Obesity, 16(2), 409–414.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) for funding this research project with a code PR17-11BS-01.

Funding

The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) has funded this study with a code PR17-11BS-01.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada

    Hanan E. Badr

  2. Faculty of Allied Health, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait

    Shashidhar Rao & Fahad Manee

Authors
  1. Hanan E. Badr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shashidhar Rao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Fahad Manee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation was performed by HB, SR, and FM. HB completed data analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hanan E. Badr.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

All the authors acknowledge that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Badr, H.E., Rao, S. & Manee, F. Gender differences in quality of life, physical activity, and risk of hypertension among sedentary occupation workers. Qual Life Res 30, 1365–1377 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-020-02741-w

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-020-02741-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation