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El Aumento de la Actividad Física en las Tareas Ocupacionales No Garantiza una Mejor Salud: Una paradoja técnico-científica
Resumen
La actividad física (AF) es un pilar fundamental en la promoción de la salud; no obstante, la denominada «paradoja de la actividad física» plantea que la actividad física ocupacional (AFO) podría no ofrecer los mismos beneficios para la salud que la actividad física realizada durante el tiempo libre (AFTL), e incluso conllevar riesgos significativos. Esta revisión analiza la relación entre la AFO y los resultados de salud, destacando las diferencias clave en términos de intensidad, duración y contexto del esfuerzo físico. La evidencia demuestra que la AFO, particularmente en tareas laborales que implican esfuerzos continuos exigentes en esfuerzo físico o de alta intensidad en actividades repetitivas, se asocia con un incremento en los niveles de inflamación, un mayor riesgo de mortalidad cardiovascular y consecuencias negativas para la salud mental, contrastando con los efectos protectores atribuidos a la AFTL. Esta discrepancia resalta la relevancia del contexto en el que se realiza la AF; mientras que la AFTL suele ser autogestionada y llevada a cabo en entornos favorables, la AFO es típicamente involuntaria y ocurre bajo condiciones demandantes. Las intervenciones específicas en el entorno laboral, como las estrategias de diseño activo y los programas estructurados de actividad física, se presentan como herramientas prometedoras para contrarrestar los efectos perjudiciales de la AFO. Estos hallazgos subrayan la necesidad de adoptar enfoques diferenciados en la promoción de la AF, reconociendo los riesgos y beneficios únicos asociados con cada contexto. Abordar la paradoja de la AFO mediante intervenciones diseñadas específicamente podría optimizar los resultados de salud de trabajadores que desempeñan funciones físicamente exigentes, especialmente aquellos con bajos niveles de condición física.
Recibido:22/04/2005
Aceptado: 16/05/2025
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