PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND HEALTH - RESULTS OF A NATIONAL STUDY ON WORKERS

Since 15 years, the ASMT (Association for the promotion of sports in e nterprises) has been trying to demonstrate that physical activities is a health factor for workers and their enterprises. Few studies (1980- 1990) in individual enterprises (Alsthom, IBM, Aerospatiale, Peugeot.. .), and a national one (1985, 1 600 sportsmen) have shown the relation ship between exercise and a lower absenteism. These results were confi rmed by a randomized national controlled study in 1990-1991. With the assistance of 115 work-doctors, the ASMT included more than 22 000 wor kers : 38 % of them had physical activities (ASMT 1 : 1 hour a week, A SMT 2 : 3 hours a week, ASMT 3 : competitors), and 62 % had none. Exer cisers have less industrial injuries than sedentary people (3.78 % vs 4.52 %. p. < 0.001) and less absences for illness (26.4 % vs 30.8 %. p . < 0.001). The duration of their absences are shorter for industrial injuries (sedentary people : 27.9 days, ASMT 1 : 27.1 days, ASMT 2 : 2 5.5 days, ASMT 3 : 24.6 days) and for illness (sedentary people : 23.6 days, ASMT 1 : 19.1 days, ASMT 2 : 17.4 days, ASMT 3 : 15.3 days).