Exploring Physical Activity Among Community Residents: Combining the Integrated Behavioral Model and Social Network...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Public Health
• Social Network Analysis

Background:

• Understanding factors influencing physical activity (PA) is crucial for public health.
• The Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) provides a framework for examining behavioral determinants.
• Social Network Analysis (SNA) offers insights into interpersonal influences on behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore individual and interpersonal factors associated with meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations in adults.
• To integrate the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) with Social Network Analysis (SNA) to understand PA behavior.
• To identify key determinants of meeting PA guidelines at both individual and social network levels.

Main Methods:

• 250 adults completed online surveys assessing demographic characteristics, PA barriers, norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention.
• Social Network Analysis (SNA) was employed to measure descriptive norms within participants' social networks.
• Logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with meeting minimum PA recommendations.

Main Results:

• 40.6% of participants met the minimum PA recommendations.
• Higher perceived behavioral control (OR=1.47) and intention (OR=1.16) were significantly associated with meeting PA recommendations.
• Having more female network members (OR=1.02) and more active co-participants (OR=1.03) increased the odds of meeting PA recommendations, while higher network density (OR=0.04) decreased them.

Conclusions:

• Immediate social context, particularly direct social influence within networks, is more impactful on PA behavior than global social norms.
• Interventions should enhance individual perceived behavioral control and intentions, and leverage social networks for direct behavioral influence.
• Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a valuable tool for assessing descriptive norms within the framework of the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM).