Psychosocial profiles of physical activity fluctuation in office employees: A latent profile analysis

Abstract

Fluctuation is a common but neglected phenomenon of physical activity (PA) behavior. This study aimed to explore the psychosocial profiles of PA fluctuation in office employees, and to examine the association of latent profiles with demographics and PA level. Method 434 Chinese office employees who were identified as PA fluctuators (M = 32.4 years, SD = 6.9, 55.5% female) completed a cross-sectional online survey covering demographics, PA behavior, and six psychosocial indicators (self-efficacy, planning, action control, affective attitude, social support, and perceived barriers). Latent profile analysis was used to determine PA fluctuators' psychosocial profiles. Associated factors of profile membership were identified with multinomial logistic regression. Results The two-profile model (uncommitted vs. moderately committed) was selected as the best solution. The moderately committed group (n = 346, 79.7%) possessed a more active mindset by reporting significantly higher scores of self-efficacy (t = 9.42 p