Dr. Aviroop Biswas
Dr. Aviroop Biswas is an associate scientist at the Institute for Work & Health.
He obtained his PhD in health services research at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. During his PhD studies, he received a doctoral research fellowship from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and was a past recipient of the University of Toronto’s Ted Goldberg award for academic excellence and promise in health services research. Biswas was previously a Mustard post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Work & Health.
Biswas’s research at the Institute explores how the interplay between work and non-work exposures affect health, and identifies which exposures are associated with better or worse health outcomes. This work is important because exposures don’t occur inside a vacuum (i.e. only at work or outside of work), and because the lines between work and non-work are becoming more blurred. Biswas's research projects largely involve the epidemiological analysis of population surveys and administrative data.
His doctoral dissertation focused on informing strategies to reduce the health risks associated with prolonged sedentary behaviour among cardiac rehabilitation patients and used qualitative research, survey-based research methods, wearable activity monitor-based physical activity tracking, and systematic reviews/meta-analyses.
“Worker health goes beyond simply thinking about protecting workers from the hazards of work. Unhealthy living not only increases the risk of preventable disease, but is also a major cause of workplace absence and injury. The challenge is to convince employers that the health and well-being of workers is in the best interests of the workplace to promote.” – Dr. Avi Biswas
Projects
- Developing recommendations for an integrated approach to workplace health protection and health promotion. Funded by Alberta OHS Future. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Do work exposures and their effects differ for men and women? A systematic review. Funded by WorkSafeBC. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Improving information on the incidence of work-related injuries and illnesses in Ontario. Funded by Ontario Ministry of Labour Research Opportunities Program . Ongoing.
- Understanding the activity patterns of Canadians at work and outside of work, and their association with overall health. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Mitchell MS, Orstad SL, Biswas A, Oh PI, Jay M, Pakosh MT, Faulkner G. Financial incentives for physical activity in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019 [Epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-100633.
- Biswas A, Severin C, Smith PM, Steenstra I, Robson LS, Amick B. Larger workplaces, people-oriented culture, and specific industry sectors are associated with co-occurring health protection and wellness activities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018;15(12):2739. doi:10.3390/ijerph15122739.
- Biswas A, Oh PI, Faulkner GE, Alter DA. A prospective study examining the influence of cardiac rehabilitation on the sedentary time of highly sedentary, physically inactive patients. Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. 2018;61(4):207-214. doi:10.1016/j.rehab.2017.06.003.
- Biswas A, Faulkner GE, Oh PI, Alter DA. Patient and practitioner perspectives on reducing sedentary behavior at an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2018;40(19):2267-2274. doi:10.1080/09638288.2017.1334232.
- Biswas A, Smith PM, Gignac MA. Naturally occurring workplace facilities to increase the leisure time physical activity of workers: A propensity-score weighted population study. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2018;10:263-270. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.03.013.
Presentations
- Do workplace facilities and health promotion programs help workers be physically active?. IWH Speaker Series. November 7, 2017.
Interviews and articles
- Sitting or standing too much at work? New video addresses ways to lower associated health risks. Safety + Health. December 27, 2018. Available from: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/17906-sitting-or-standing-too-much-at-work-new-video-addresses-ways-to-lower-associated-health-risks
- Emerging issues and innovative prevention approaches seen in latest IWH projects. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 94, Fall 2018.
- Workplace facilities and environments can help workers exercise during off-hours. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 92, Spring 2018.
- Researcher on health risks of sedentary life shifts focus to workplace interventions. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 88, Spring 2017.