Objective  To examine the situation of physical activity and the prevalence of abnormal blood pressure and to explore the relationship between work, leisure, commuting-related physical activity and the prevalence of abnormal blood pressure among residents of Chongqing city.

  Methods  Using stratified multistage random sampling, we conducted a questionnaire survey on demographics, life behavior, and physical activity and physical examination including blood pressure measurement among 15 038 permanent residents aged ≥ 15 years in Chongqing city during the period from 2012 to 2015.

  Results  Among all the participants, 64.5% (9 695) were detected with abnormal blood pressure. For all the participants, the overall physical activity level was 5 321.61 metabolic equivalent task-minutes (MET-min)/week (95% confidence interval 95% CI: 5 220.41 – 5 422.81) and the physical activity attributed to work, commuting, and leisure were 3 844.02 (95% CI: 3 752.26 – 3 935.79), 1 120.80 (95% CI: 1 097.42 – 1 144.18), and 356.78 (95% CI: 337.14 – 376.42) MET-min/week, respectively. The work-related physical activity decreased the risk of abnormal blood pressure (odds ratio OR = 0.987, 95% CI: 0.979 – 0.996) among the male participants and the commuting-related physical activity decreased the risk of abnormal blood pressure (OR = 0.951, 95% CI: 0.915 – 0.987) among the female participants (both P < 0.001).

  Conclusion  The work-related and commuting-related physical activity are protective factors against abnormal blood pressure among male and female residents in Chongqing city.