Working-from-home persistently influences sleep and physical activity 2 years after the Covid-19 pandemic onset: a longitudinal sleep tracker and electronic diary-based study
Massar et al.,
Working-from-home persistently influences sleep and physical activity 2 years after the Covid-19 pandemic..,
Frontiers in Psychology, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1145893
Analysis of 225 adults in Singapore showing working from home associated with lower physical activity (as measured by step count) during August 2021 - January 2022.
Massar et al., 5 May 2023, Singapore, peer-reviewed, mean age 35.5, 8 authors, study period August 2021 - January 2022.
Contact:
michael.chee@nus.edu.sg.
Abstract: TYPE Original Research
PUBLISHED 05 May 2023
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1145893
OPEN ACCESS
EDITED BY
Nicola Cellini,
University of Padua, Italy
REVIEWED BY
Giorgia Varallo,
University of Parma, Italy
Prerna Varma,
Monash University, Australia
Enrico Sella,
University of Padua, Italy
Working-from-home persistently
influences sleep and physical
activity 2 years after the Covid-19
pandemic onset: a longitudinal
sleep tracker and electronic
diary-based study
*CORRESPONDENCE
Michael W. L. Chee
michael.chee@nus.edu.sg
These authors have contributed equally to this
work
†
RECEIVED 16 January 2023
ACCEPTED 21 April 2023
PUBLISHED 05 May 2023
Stijn A. A. Massar 1†, Ju Lynn Ong 1†, TeYang Lau 1, Ben K. L. Ng 2,
Lit Fai Chan 2, Daphne Koek 2, Karen Cheong 2 and
Michael W. L. Chee 1*
Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore,
Singapore, Singapore, 2 Health Promotion Board, Singapore, Singapore
1
CITATION
Massar SAA, Ong JL, Lau T, Ng BKL, Chan LF,
Koek D, Cheong K and Chee MWL (2023)
Working-from-home persistently influences
sleep and physical activity 2 years after the
Covid-19 pandemic onset: a longitudinal sleep
tracker and electronic diary-based study.
Front. Psychol. 14:1145893.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1145893
COPYRIGHT
© 2023 Massar, Ong, Lau, Ng, Chan, Koek,
Cheong and Chee. This is an open-access
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Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
The use, distribution or reproduction in other
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author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are
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comply with these terms.
Objective: Working from home (WFH) has become common place since the
Covid-19 pandemic. Early studies observed population-level shifts in sleep
patterns (later and longer sleep) and physical activity (reduced PA), during home
confinement. Other studies found these changes to depend on the proportion
of days that individuals WFH (vs. work from office; WFO). Here, we examined the
effects of WFH on sleep and activity patterns in the transition to normality during
the later stages of the Covid-19 pandemic (Aug 2021–Jan 2022).
Methods: Two-hundred and twenty-five working adults enrolled in a public
health study were followed for 22 weeks. Sleep and activity data were collected
with a consumer fitness tracker (Fitbit Versa 2). Over three 2-week periods (Phase
1/week 1–2: August 16–29, 2021; Phase 2/week 11–12: October 25–November
7, 2021; Phase 3/week 21–22: January 3–16, 2022), participants provided daily
Fitbit sleep and activity records. Additionally, they completed daily phone-based
ecological momentary assessment (EMA), providing ratings of sleep quality,
wellbeing (mood, stress, motivation), and information on daily work arrangements
(WFH, WFO, no work). Work arrangement data were used to examine the effects
of WFH vs. WFO on sleep, activity, and wellbeing.
Results: The proportion of WFH vs. WFO days fluctuated over the three
measurement periods, mirroring evolving Covid restrictions. Across all three
measurement periods WFH days were robustly associated with later bedtimes
(+14.7min), later wake times (+42.3min), and longer Total Sleep Time (+20.2min),
compared to WFO days. Sleep efficiency was not affected. WFH was further
associated with lower daily step count..
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