Association between health information seeking and behaviour change related to physical activity among Qatari adolescents

Abstract

This study aims to assess the influence of used information sources on behaviour change related to physical activity (PA). It analyses secondary data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted in 2017 among 1050 Qatari adolescents aged 13–19 years. Multivariable logistic regression accounting for survey design examined the association between the outcome (attempt to change PA) and interpersonal, online, traditional, and social media information sources. Adolescents who used information from interpersonal and online sources to attempt changing their behaviour had nine times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.15–21.08) and nearly three times (95% CI: 1.50–4.27) higher odds of a change in PA behaviour, respectively. The estimated average marginal effects of using information from interpersonal and online sources were 46-percentage point and 16-percentage point increase in the probability of attempting PA behaviour change, respectively. Policymakers may benefit from this research in designing appropriate PA interventions that adapt multiple delivery approaches.