Exercise Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Anxiety, Stress, and Precautionary Behavior

Understanding emotion is critical, as it influences behavioral responses. In particular, anxiety is one of the most significant factors affecting individuals’ behavior during a pandemic situation. However, the effect of coronavirus anxiety on exercise behaviors has not been extensively explored in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Heetae Cho, Sunghoon Kim, Weisheng Chiu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-11-01
Series:Behavioral Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/11/437
Description
Summary:Understanding emotion is critical, as it influences behavioral responses. In particular, anxiety is one of the most significant factors affecting individuals’ behavior during a pandemic situation. However, the effect of coronavirus anxiety on exercise behaviors has not been extensively explored in the extant literature. Therefore, this study examined the relationships among coronavirus anxiety, stress, precautionary behavior, and exercise participation. A total of 307 responses were collected from individuals who experienced the full length of the circuit breaker in Singapore. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that coronavirus anxiety had positive effects on stress and precautionary behavior. In addition, precautionary behavior played a mediating role in the relationships among coronavirus anxiety, stress, and exercise participation. The findings of this study identify how COVID-19 affected exercise participation during that period and suggest strategies to promote exercise participation, which would benefit individuals and governments.
ISSN:2076-328X