Day-level relationships between work, physical activity, and well-being: Testing the physical activity-mediated demand-control (pamDC) model

ABSTRACT The physical activity-mediated Demand-Control model (Häusser, J. A., & Mojzisch, A. (2017). The physical activity-mediated Demand–Control (pamDC) model: Linking work characteristics, leisure time physical activity, and well-being. Work & Stress, 31(3), 209–232. doi:10.1080/02678373.2017.1303759) posits that leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is an important variable mediating the effects of job characteristics on well-being. Building on this model, we hypothesise that day-specific job demands and job control predict LTPA after work (via self-regulation and self-determination). LTPA after work, in turn, is predicted to be positively related to evening well-being. We tested these hypotheses by conducting a 14-day ambulatory assessment study. A sample of 207 employees wore an accelerometer to monitor physical activity and answered, three times a day, questionnaires addressing job characteristics, self-regulatory capacity, self-determination, and well-being. Results show that day-specific job demands were negatively related to LTPA and different indicators of evening well-being. We also found evidence for the mediation of the relationship between day-specific job demands and evening well-being via LTPA after work. However, contrary to our predictions, job control was not related to LTPA on a daily basis. These findings help to advance theory and, in particular, to understand the importance of LTPA for employee well-being.