FACTORS PREDICTING THE STRETCHING EXERCISE BEHAVIORS OF OFFICE EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE SHAHID BEHESHTI UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES IN TEHRAN, IRAN.

Abstract

Office employees of all ages are at risk for non-communicable diseases such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to physical inactivity. Stretching exercise (SE) behavior could help office employees prevent MSDs. This research aimed to study the predictors of SE among office employees working in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS) of Iran through a health promotion model (HPM). In the present study, 430 eligible office employees were randomly selected. To assess the predictors of SE, all the HPM constructs were examined as risk factors to determine whether they influence the probability of SE behavior occurrence and were interpreted through odds ratio (OR). SPSS version 19 was used to analyze the data. A total of 420 office employees with mean age of 37.1±8.03 years took part in the study. This study showed that perceived barriers to action could prevent participants from engaging in SE (OR [95%CI]: 0.875 [0.815-0.939], p < 0.001). However, perceived self-efficacy (OR [95%CI]: 1.248 [1.137-1.370], p < 0.001), commitment to a plan of action (OR [95%CI]: 1.189 [1.033-1.367], p = 0.016), and interpersonal influences (OR [95%CI]: 1.104 [1.041-1.217], p = 0.003) were significant predictors for SE behavior. This study showed that the office employees who were more confident and committed to a plan of action, and perceived fewer barriers, were more likely to engage in SE behavior.