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Objectives: Currently available questionnaires have limited ability to measure physical activity (PA) using accelerometers as a gold standard. This study aimed to develop a PA questionnaire for middle-aged Japanese workers and propose a PA scoring system for predicting low moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA)., Methods: A total of 428 participants (median age 49 years; 75.8% men) participated in a 7-day PA measurement using an accelerometer and a questionnaire. The association between questionnaire responses and low MVPA (<150 min/wk) was assessed by logistic regression analysis. A score was assigned to each response based on the correlation coefficients of the multivariate model. The ability of the sum score to predict low MVPA was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)., Results: Five questionnaire items were used for measuring PA scores (range: 0-50; higher scores indicated a higher probability of low MVPA). The AUC was 0.741 (95% CI, 0.689-0.792), and the sensitivity and specificity at the optimal cut-off value were 66.7% and 68.2%, respectively. This predictive ability was slightly increased by body mass index (AUC 0.745 [95% CI, 0.693-0.796]; sensitivity 69.9%; specificity 66.9%). These predictive values were greater than those of conventional questionnaires used in health checkups in Japan (P < .05)., Conclusions: This questionnaire-based PA scoring system showed moderate accuracy in predicting low MVPA. It is useful for screening physically inactive workers and promoting PA., (© The Author(s) [2023]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Journal of Occupational Health.)

Background: The combined effects of physical inactivity and obesity on hypertension have been recognized; however, previous studies evaluated physical activity using questionnaires. We aimed to examine the effects of physical activity, measured using an accelerometer, and obesity on hypertension onset., Methods: At baseline, 426 middle-aged Japanese men who were not on antihypertensive medications were included. Physical activity was measured for 7 consecutive days using an accelerometer. Mean daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and step count (SC) were calculated. Low MVPA and low SC were each defined as the first tertile. Obesity was defined as ≥25 kg/m2 of body mass index. The onset of hypertension was defined as receiving antihypertensive agents during the 4-year follow-up. The combined effects of obesity and physical inactivity on hypertension were examined using Cox regression analysis. Potential confounders included age, smoking, alcohol consumption, daily salt intake, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures., Results: Cox regression analysis revealed that both obesity and low MVPA predicted hypertension in patients, independent of confounders (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.64, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-6.42, p = 0.033), unlike obesity alone (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 0.50-3.26, p = 0.590). Stratification by obesity and SC revealed similar hypertension risks among the two groups (Obesity with low SC [HR: 2.10, 95% CI 0.88-5.24, p = 0.089]; Obesity without low SC [HR: 1.72, 95% CI 0.93-4.01, p = 0.082])., Conclusions: Here, findings suggest that the coexistence of obesity and decreased MVPA may increase the risk of hypertension onset., (Copyright © 2019 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)