Productivity and Health: Alternative Productivity Measures using Physical Activity

This paper investigates an alternative measure for individual worker productivity in physical work settings: a direct measure of physical activity using an accelerometer. First, the paper evaluates the relationship of agricultural workers’ physical activity with their daily productivity and labor supply, which are directly observed, and finds a positive correlation. Second, to illustrate the promise of physical activity measures and provide further validation, we estimate the impact of a health intervention on physical activity, and compare with its impact on productivity and labor supply. The results demonstrate that the increased daily productivity of workers who are offered this program is explained by worker time reallocation from lower intensity activities to higher intensity activities.