Differences in health-related indicators by leisure time vs incidental physical activity in adults

Purpose Investigations considered total physical activity (PA) when recommending its practice, leading us to question whether other incidental forms provide the same health benefits as leisure-time PA. Thus, we aimed to investigate through cross sectional data whether PA performed in other contexts other than leisure time (e.g., at work or commuting, i.e., incidental physical activity), can provide the same health benefits. Method We divided our sample of the adults between those who attained physical activity recommendations proposal by World Health Organization into two groups: 1) leisure-time and 2) incidental PA and tested differences between groups to identify a more salutogenic profile, besides investigating differences by sex. We collected demographic and health data, PA, sedentary behavior, sleep, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, life satisfaction, psychological wellbeing, and health-related quality of life from 378 adults in an academic environment. Results The results indicated that those who were active in their leisure-time spent less time in leisure-time sedentary behavior (p = 0.019), performed more vigorous intensity PA (p < .0.001), had greater energy expenditure per week (p < 0.001), higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (p = 0.017), and scored better in the physical component of health-related quality of life (p = 0.010). However, in the analysis by sex, the advantages of being active in leisure-time changed considerably. Conclusion Although major health organizations recommend regular PA, our findings suggest that those performed during leisure-time may be more strongly associated with a healthier profile compared to incidental PA. Moreover, men and women may experience different benefits from being active during leisure time.