The relationships between off-job physical activity and vigor at work across time: Testing for reciprocity

Purpose of the study The main objective of the present study was to examine the reciprocal relationships between off-job moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigor at work. Method 128 workers (60% females) from different companies, with a mean age of 39.40 years old, comprising lower supervisory and technical employees, intermediate occupations and professional and managerial workers, completed a questionnaire twice with an interval of two months, comprising measures of vigor at work (Shirom-Melamed Vigor Measure; Shirom, 2004), and self-rated levels of off-job MVPA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire; Craig et al., 2003). Results Structural equation modeling revealed that the level of vigor at T1 predicted the level of off-job MVPA at T2 (β = 0.22, p Conclusion The findings suggest that high vigor at work has the potential to prompt individuals to engage in off-job MVPA. Conversely, in the present study high levels of off-job MVPA were not linked to enhanced vigor at work. As a result, strategies designed to enhance vigor at work may result in higher levels of off-job MVPA and in the long term to the adoption of a healthy lifestyle beneficial for physical and mental health.