Assess workers' needs and preferences first before planning a physical fitness programme: findings from a polytechnic institute in Singapore.

Workplace physical fitness programmes are usually poorly attended because the activities do not meet workers' needs. We investigated leisure-time physical activity and its relation to sociodemographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors in a polytechnic institute in Singapore before planning a physical fitness programme. Low leisure-time physical activity (defined as no activity or engaging in physical activity less than once per week) was more prevalent among older women, married workers, smokers and men with unhealthy dietary habits. The type of physical activity varied with age and gender, with a preference for walking by women and older men and jogging by younger men. Low physical activity was significantly associated with sickness absence and self-reported stress in women and higher values of triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in men. This survey helps to identify target groups for physical fitness programmes and determine leisure-time physical activities specific to workers' preferences by age and gender.