Factors Associated With Health-Promoting Behaviors Among South Korean Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To examine the association between positive psychological capital, social support, illness attitudes toward COVID-19, and health-promoting behaviors in Korean adults.

Design: An online cross-sectional study.

Sample: The participants were 820 South Korean adults aged 19-64, recruited through quota sampling. The sample was census-matched in terms of age and gender based on the Korean Population Census.

Measurements: The participants completed measures assessing psychological capital, social support, illness attitude toward COVID-19, and health-promoting behaviors. The t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation, and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results: Participants who were religious, perceived themselves as physically healthy, had negative illness attitudes, had high positive psychological capital, and received high social support were more likely to engage in health-promoting behaviors. These variables explained 44.5% of the participants' health-promoting behaviors.

Conclusions: This study is the first to examine illness attitudes toward COVID-19 and health-promoting behaviors among South Korean adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results can pave the way for effective public health intervention strategies that consider religiosity, physical health status, illness attitude, and social support, to promote healthy living during future public health crises.