Psychosocial Factors and Health Behavior among Korean Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: This study was an attempt to identify associations between health behavior, such as smoking,alcohol consumption, healthy diet, and physical activity, and psychosocial factors.
Methods: This crosssectionalstudy was conducted among 1,500 participants aged between 30 and 69 years, selected from apopulation-based database in October 2009 through multiple-stratified random sampling. Information wascollected about the participants’ smoking and drinking habits, dietary behavior, level of physical activity,stress, coping strategies, impulsiveness, personality, social support, sense of coherence, self-efficacy, healthcommunication, and sociodemographics.
Results: Agreeableness, as a personality trait, was negativelyassociated with smoking and a healthy diet, while extraversion was positively associated with drinking. Thetendency to consume a healthy diet decreased in individuals with perceived higher stress, whereas it increasedin individuals who had access to greater social support. Self-efficacy was found to be a strong predictor ofall health behaviors. Provider-patient communication and physical environment were important factorsin promoting positive healthy behavior, such as consumption of a healthy diet and taking regular exercise.
Conclusions: Psychosocial factors influence individuals’ smoking and drinking habits, dietary intake, andexercise patterns.