Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Jul 8, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 8, 2025 - Sep 2, 2025
Date Accepted: Jul 28, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Understanding the link between physical activity and work ability in university staff: protocol for a gender-sensitive cross-sectional study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Physical inactivity represents a significant public health issue with substantial socioeconomic costs. In the Autonomous Community of Madrid (CAM), 39.17% of the population does not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for physical activity. Gender, sex, and occupational factors are well-established determinants of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), yet few studies have examined these factors among university staff.
Objective:
This study aims to analyze the relationship between LTPA and work ability among university staff in the CAM, considering the potential modifying effect of occupational physical activity (OPA). Secondary objectives include examining associations between LTPA, musculoskeletal disorders, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical and mental workload, and working conditions, with a focus on sex and gender differences.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was designed involving 885 university staff members from the University of Alcalá (UAH), Madrid, Spain. Participants will complete an online survey including sociodemographic questions and validated instruments: Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), Work Ability Index (WAI), Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, SF-12 Health Survey, and NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). Descriptive and inferential statistics will be performed to assess associations between LTPA, OPA, and work ability, adjusted for relevant covariates.
Results:
The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Alcalá in November 2024. Recruitment began in December 2024 and will continue until June 2027. Data analysis will be conducted progressively. Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific conferences following gender-sensitive and transparent reporting standards.
Conclusions:
Understanding the determinants of physical activity and their interaction with work ability and gender may inform the development of targeted, culturally sensitive interventions to reduce sedentary behavior and its associated health and economic burdens in university staff. Clinical Trial: NCT06723808
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