Key points from article :
Occupations involving physical labor tend to be associated with lower life expectancy.
This is the effect of those occupations correlating with lower socioeconomic status and accompanying lifestyle choices.
Physical activity is, as one might expect, associated with a modestly higher life expectancy.
437,378 participants (aged 18-65 years; 48.7% men) self-reported occupational physical activity.
Shorter survival times among men in physically active occupations reversed following adjustment for confounding factors.
Men in occupations characterised by walking, walking and lifting, and heavy labour had life expectancies.
Moderate to high occupational physical activity contributes to longevity in men.
Occupational physical activity does not seem to affect longevity in women.
These results might inform future physical activity guidelines for public health.
Study by Norwegian School of Sport Sciences published in The Lancet Public Health.
