Investigating Associations Between Physical Activity and Presenteeism – A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to scope the literature on what is currently known between physical activity and presenteeism. DATA SOURCE: A search strategy was conducting in six scientific databases. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies written in English about the relation between physical activity and presenteeism were considered for inclusion. DATA EXTRACTION: Data on definitions and measurement of presenteeism and physical activity were extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: The data is categorized according to the understanding of presenteeism of the studies to give a better idea of how this phenomenon is studied in relation to physical activity. RESULTS: After screening 9773 titles and abstracts and 269 full-text articles, 57 unique articles fulfilled our eligibility criteria. The majority of the articles were published since 2010 and originated predominantly in the United States. Most studies (70%) define presenteeism as lost productivity due to health problems, according to the American line of research, whereas 19% of the studies define it as “working while ill” which refers to the European line of research. The studies that reflected the American school of thought tends to report more results that supported their hypothesis (i.e., that more physical activity is associated with less presenteeism). CONCLUSION: This review has highlighted the homogeneity in how presenteeism is conceptualized and measured in studies included in our sample. Research on physical activity and presenteeism should be expanded across various disciplines in social sciences to respond to the needs that many researchers have expressed to promote healthier organizations.