Health Beliefs Behavior and Physical Exercise Behavior Among Chinese Adolescents An Analysis of Physical Exercise Behaviors Using the Health Belief Model

Abstract

Purpose:This study aims to examine the health beliefs influencing physical exercise behaviors among Chinese adolescents in Guangdong Province, applying the HBM to investigate the relationship between health beliefs and physical activity. Focusing on adolescents from eight cities within the province, this study assesses five HBM components in relation to their physical exercise behaviors.
Methods: This study collects data from 3,000 Chinese adolescents aged 10–19 across eight cities in Guangdong Province, China. Using the Health Belief Model (HBM), five factors were analyzed: Perceived Risk, Perceived Severity, Perceived Benefit, Perceived Barriers, and Perceived Self-Efficacy, with Physical Exercise Behavior as the dependent variable.
Results:Overall, health beliefs among adolescents were neutral (X̅ = 2.95, S.D. = 0.43). Perceived Barriers scored the highest (X̅ = 3.00, S.D. = 0.44), highlighting challenges like academic pressures. Perceived Self-Efficacy (X̅ = 2.99, S.D. = 0.44) and Perceived Severity (X̅ = 2.99, S.D. = 0.43) were also relatively high, while Perceived Benefit (X̅ = 2.89, S.D. = 0.42) and Perceived Risk (X̅ = 2.88, S.D. = 0.42) were moderate to low. Physical Exercise Behavior was neutral (X̅ = 2.91, S.D. = 0.42), with adolescents showing confidence in maintaining exercise routines but less in resisting peer pressure or performing exercises correctly.Chikan District, Zhanjiang City, showed a significant correlation between health beliefs and exercise behavior (r = 0.458, p < 0.001). Regression analysis revealed health beliefs explained 64.9% of exercise behavior variance (Adjusted R² = 0.644), with Perceived Risk being the strongest predictor (β = 0.799, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:These findings highlight the need to enhance self-efficacy and address perceived barriers to promote physical activity among Chinese adolescents.