Psychosocial factors associated with exercise engagement in adult users of primary healthcare services.

Background: The prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases is high among Mexican adults. Adherence to healthy lifestyles, such as regular exercise, is essential for managing these diseases and preventing their complications. However, 60% of Mexican adults living in urban areas are not active. This study aimed to identify the association between psychosocial factors and adherence to exercise recommendations among Mexican adults receiving primary healthcare services.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 406 adults aged 20-64 years. The dependent variable was adherence to exercise recommendations for the adult population. Participants were classified into three categories - Active, Insufficiently Active, and Inactive - based on the metabolic equivalents per week expended on exercise. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity. The metabolic equivalents per week spent on leisure-time exercise were calculated. The psychosocial variables from the Transtheoretical Model included stages of readiness for change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance, and sociodemographic and health factors were also considered. In the statistical analysis, ordered logistic regression was used.

Results: Associations were identified between stages of readiness for change and self-efficacy with exercise adherence categories. The multivariate analysis revealed that for each one-point increase on the self-efficacy scale, the likelihood of being in the Active category increased by 2.4%, while the likelihood of being in the Inactive category decreased. Males, compared to females, and adults aged 20-31 years, compared to those aged 32-64 years, were more likely to be in the Insufficiently Active and Active categories.

Conclusions: Psychosocial factors such as stages of readiness for change and self-efficacy were associated with meeting the recommendation for exercise; these factors could be incorporated into the design and development of exercise promotion strategies for Mexican adults using primary healthcare services.