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Table 9 Ranking for proportion of time in sedentary activity by occupational category and by sex: NHANES 2003–2004 (n = 1112)

From: Classification of occupational activity categories using accelerometry: NHANES 2003–2004

Rank

Occupational category

Overall n

Sedentary activity M (SE)

Men n

Sedentary activity M (SE)

Women n

Sedentary activity M (SE)

1

Waiters and waitresses

7

39.8 (3.2)

2

38.5 (6)

5

40 (4.3)

2

Other helpers, cleaners, hand packagers, laborers

18

42.4 (1.2)

12

40.7 (1.6)

6

45.3 (1.6)

3

Farm and nursery workers

6

44.7 (5.4)

5

43 (5.5)

1

54.7 (0)

4

Construction laborers

9

45.3 (2)

9

45.3 (2)

0

-

5

Related agricultural, forestry, and fishing

21

45.4 (1.3)

21

45.4 (1.3)

0

-

6

Cleaning and building service occupations

23

45.6 (2.2)

15

43.2 (3.5)

8

49.3 (5.4)

7

Construction trades

58

45.7 (1.3)

57

45.6 (1.3)

1

55.1 (0)

8

Machine operators, assorted materials

22

45.9 (1.5)

17

44.2 (1.5)

5

54.1 (4.7)

9

Freight, stock, and material movers (hand)

14

46.1 (2.9)

11

47.8 (3.8)

3

41 (0.4)

10

Farm operators, managers, and supervisors

5

46.3 (1)

4

46.1 (1)

1

48.3 (0)

11

Miscellaneous food preparation and service

14

46.7 (2.3)

6

47.2 (3.5)

8

46.5 (2.4)

12

Cooks

24

47.9 (2.6)

13

49.3 (3.2)

11

45 (2.1)

13

Textile, apparel, furnishings machine operators

8

48.9 (5.5)

3

47.1 (6.6)

5

49.4 (6.9)

14

Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations

27

49 (3)

19

49.6 (3.6)

8

47.7 (5)

15

Other mechanics and repairers

37

49.5 (1.2)

37

49.5 (1.2)

0

-

16

Vehicle and mobile equip. mechanics, repairers

15

49.8 (2.9)

15

49.8 (2.9)

0

-

17

Motor vehicle operators

61

50 (1.5)

59

49.3 (1.5)

2

64.3 (3)

18

Fabricators, assemblers, inspectors, and samplers

28

50.1 (3.6)

16

47.2 (5.1)

12

55.5 (3.1)

19

Health service occupations

38

50.4 (1.6)

7

51 (1.9)

31

50.2 (1.8)

20

Laborers, except construction

3

50.5 (7.9)

1

64.7 (0)

2

39.3 (5.3)

21

Private household occupations

9

51.7 (9.1)

0

-

9

51.7 (9.1)

22

Sales workers, retail and personal services

26

52 (1.5)

12

52.1 (1.7)

14

51.9 (2.4)

23

Material recording, scheduling, distributing clerks

19

52.3 (4.4)

12

50.8 (6)

7

56.1 (3.4)

24

Extractive and precision production occupations

47

52.4 (1.2)

38

52.9 (0.9)

9

50.4 (5.3)

25

Information clerks

18

52.5 (1.8)

4

63 (2)

14

50.8 (1.5)

26

Other transportation and material moving

21

54.1 (2.2)

20

53.7 (2.3)

1

60.2 (0)

27

Personal service occupations

14

54.5 (2.5)

3

53 (1.5)

11

55.2 (3.5)

28

Health diagnosing, assessing and treating

42

55.2 (1.1)

8

52.1 (4.4)

34

56.1 (1.1)

29

Miscellaneous administrative support occupations

65

57.5 (1.4)

16

57.5 (3.1)

49

57.5 (1.7)

30

Teachers

40

57.5 (1.7)

11

54.4 (1.7)

29

58.5 (2.4)

31

Sales reps., finance, business, & commodities

29

58.2 (1.9)

16

58.6 (3.1)

13

57.6 (2)

32

Technicians and related support occupations

33

58.5 (2.5)

18

62.9 (3.2)

15

53.6 (2.4)

33

Executive, administrators, and managers

112

58.6 (1.1)

67

57.7 (1.4)

45

60.2 (1.4)

34

Secretaries, stenographers, and typists

21

58.7 (2.3)

0

-

21

58.7 (2.3)

35

Records processing occupations

33

58.8 (1.6)

0

-

33

58.8 (1.6)

36

Writers, artists, entertainers, and athletes

15

58.9 (2.6)

9

57.6 (3.3)

6

60.9 (3)

37

Protective service occupations

13

59.7 (2.4)

10

60.9 (2.6)

3

52.6 (3.8)

38

Other professional specialty occupations

39

59.9 (1.8)

16

60.3 (2.9)

23

59.6 (1.7)

39

Management related occupations

49

60.3 (1.2)

23

59.7 (2.1)

26

60.9 (0.9)

40

Engineers, architects and scientists

29

65 (1.4)

22

65.4 (1.6)

7

63 (3)

  1. Sedentary activity, 0–99 counts; M mean, SE standard error