Objective The aim of this study was to explore the prospective association between compositions of accelerometry-measured occupational physical behaviors and the risk of knee pain among eldercare workers.

Methods We performed a prospective study among 377 eldercare workers employed across 20 Danish nursing homes. Occupational physical behaviors were measured using thigh-worn accelerometers over 1–4 working days. Workers reported intensity of and days with knee pain in a questionnaire at baseline and after one year. We explored associations between compositions of occupational physical behaviors [ie, sedentary, standing, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)] and knee pain, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results No significant associations were found. Trends were found for increased occupational time spent in MVPA and decreased risk of days with knee pain [relative risk (RR) 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32–1.05, P=0.07] in main analyses, and for decreased risk of knee pain intensity among non-knee pain cases (RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.12–1.13, P=0.08) in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions No significant associations were found between baseline occupational physical behaviors and knee pain at one-year follow-up. However, a non-significant trend suggested that increasing occupational MVPA might be associated with reduced risk of knee pain at follow-up, though studies with larger samples are needed to confirm this finding.

Key terms accelerometer study; accelerometry; compositional data analysis; eldercare worker; knee pain; musculoskeletal disease; occupational physical behavior; worker; workplace