The correlates of physical activity vary according to the type of physical activity being assessed. For example, walking for transport is associated with characteristics of the built environment whereas walking for pleasure is not. Similarly, characteristics of a person's occupation may be differentially associated with different types of physical activity that may be masked if only an overall measure of physical activity is assessed. Those engaged in high levels of physical activity as part of their job may also do more transport activity (getting to and from work) but less physical activity in their leisure time, preferring to recuperate for the next day's hard work. The absence of specific measures of occupational exposures and nonspecific measures of behavior can lead to conflicting results in correlation studies.
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