Factors Associated With Physical Activity and COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Indonesian Adults

Abstract

Studies have shown that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) preventive measures and regular physical activity are essential for reducing disease risk. As such, utilizing the health belief model (HBM) framework, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the association between sociodemographic and social-cognitive explored factors with physical activity and COVID-19 preventive behaviors in a nationally represented sample of 871 Indonesian adults. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity levels. The COVID-19 preventive behaviors and the social-cognitive factors were measured using instruments adapted from the WHO-COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring and based on the HBM framework. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between the outcomes and each potential correlate, adjusted for potential confounders. The results showed that women were more likely to engage in sufficient COVID-19 preventive behaviors, while older adults were less likely to be physically active. Participants with high social-cognitive processes were also more likely to engage in sufficient COVID-19 preventive behaviors and be physically active. The perceived barrier, however, was not associated with COVID-19 preventive practices. The findings support using the HBM in understanding COVID-19 preventive and physical activity behaviors. Interventions to improve COVID-19 preventive practices in this target population should focus more on men, while physical activity promotion should focus more on older adults.