Investigating Factors Affecting Regular Physical Activity Based on Social Cognitive Theory among health workers in medical and health network of Borkhar and Shahin Shahr Esfahan

The relatively long hours of work (most of the adults are at work for half of waking hours) and much time spent travelling from home to work and vice versa practically do not leave time for regular physical exercise for employees. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of regular physical activity and effective factors on it among Borkhar and Shahinshahr Health Network Employees according to social cognitive theory (SCT). In this descriptive-analytical study, 170 employees were enrolled by census. A standard questionnaire consisting of three sections, i.e., demographic information, international physical activity questionnaire and an SCT construct measure were used to collect information. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21. Descriptive statistics and multiple hierarchical regression were used to determine the predictive value of regular physical activity among employees by using SCT constructs. Findings: The mean age of participants was 38.42 years. The constructs of SCT (self-efficacy, outcome expectations, outcome value, family support and friends support) were analyzed in the first step, and were found to explain 13% of the variance in physical activity behavior. Results showed that, among the constructs of SCT, selfefficacy, and among demographic variables, age had a significant association with regular physical activity. According to the results of this study, self-efficacy is an important factor in predicting the regular physical activity of employees. Therefore, it is suggested that strategies for self-efficacy promotion in physical activity in employees be addressed in future studies.