Tasks regarded as constituting ‘hard’ occupational work, percentage of workers involved in the ‘active’ category and adjusted risk ratios for premature death
| Authors | Nature of ‘heavy’ task | % Active, adjusted risk ratio (active/sedentary) |
| Menotti et al 3 (2016) | Average daily energy expenditure 12.9 MJ (estimated from the questionnaire, ergometric data and diet) | 68.2% of sample active 0.76 (0.64 to 0.90) |
| Turi et al (2017) | Translation of Baecke questionnaire; top two ‘sufficiently active’ segments of occupational | 30.0% of sample active 0.45 (0.20 to 0.97)a 0.78 (0.07–9.41) |
| Etemadi et al (2014) | Questionnaire, activities causing significant increases of heart rate and sweating (often outdoors, eg, farming) | 10.7% of the sample active at cohort baseline 0.89 (0.84 to 0.95)b 0.84 (0.68 to 1.04) |
| Huerta et al (2016) | EPIC questionnaire, summer and winter, ranking of job (sedentary/non-sedentary) | 69% of those working 0.99 (0.77 to 1.27) |
| Wanner et al (2014) | Self-reported intensity (high/low) | 18.7% of sample 1.01 (0.88 to 1.15) c 1.01 (0.88 to 1.17) |
| Andersen et al (2000) | Sitting or housekeeper without children vs other levels of activity | % Not stated 0.86 (0.74 to 0.99)d 1.02 (0.83 to 1.26) |
| Petersen et al 6 (2012) | Reports of lifting or carrying >10 kg; sedentary vs standing, walking or strenuous activity | 39.8% Lifting 38.9% Not sitting Lifting 1.00 (ns) heavy work 1.02 (ns) |
| Clays (2014) | Blue collar, white collar and executive; questionnaire estimated kJ/h, low vs moderate or high | Moderate 33.5%, high 34.1% 1.31 (ns), 1.21 (ns) |
| Holterman (2012) | Quartiles based on questions on sitting, increased breathing, kneeling or squatting, and carrying >20 kg | Quartile 3 25% Quartile 4 25% 1.79 (1.19 to 2.70)e 1.22 (1.05 to 1.41) |
| Krause et al 7 (2017) | Occupational interview re; sitting, standing, walking, stairs and other activities converted to kJ/day | HR per 2 MJ/day occ. energy expenditure HD 1.16 (0.80 to 1.66) f 1.25 (0.72 to 2.19) no HD 1.30 (1.07 to 1.57) |
| Richard et al (2015) | High vs low occupational categories | 32.4% of sample 1.25 (0.85 to 1.84) g 1.31 (0.90 to 1.91) |
| Holtermann et al (2010) | Questions re: sitting, walking, lifting, stairs, strenuous work (eg, digging and shovelling), 3-level grouping | High/heavy 18.1% Medium 55.9% 1.17 (1.06 to 1.29), 1.33 (1.18 to 1.51) h |
| Chau et al (2015) | Questions re: sitting, walking, lifting, heavy labour | ? 1.91 (0.98 to 3.73) |
| Harari et al (2015) | Questions re: sitting, standing, walking, climbing | Moderate and hard 61.2% 1.42 (1.16 to 1.74) |
| Holtermann et al (2012) | Questions re: sitting, walking, lifting, stairs, strenuous work (eg, digging and shovelling), 3-level grouping | Moderate 19.9%, hard 6.1% 1.15 (1.01 to 1.33) 1.22 (1.05 to 1.41) j 1.59 (1.16 to 2.31) |
| Stender et al (1993) | Personal report of moderate or heavy work | ? 1.91 (0.98 to 3.73) |
| Hu et al (2014) | Baecke questionnaire (sitting, standing, walking, lifting, sweating) | 33%, 33% med 1.34 (0.90 to 1.99) high 1.53 (1.06 to 2.22) k 3.40 (1.94 to 5.96) |
Values reported by the original authors (bold type), and (where apparently different) the HRs used in the meta-analysis (light type). For details of references, see the online supplementry table S2.
Location of risk ratios cited for individual studies: aTable 3, Cox regression; bTable 4, per one-level increase of work activity at baseline, ctext, p. 91, dtext, p. 1625, etext, p.305, ftext, p.983, gtext p. 184, hTable 4, iTable 2, jTable 3, kTable 4, lTable 3.