Health anxiety and physical activity among young and middle-aged employees: the role of self-compassion and coping strategies

Introduction: Health anxiety significantly affects young and middle-aged employees, leading to lower productivity, absenteeism, and even serious symptoms like depression or suicidal thoughts. Physical activity offers a win-win solution by relieving health anxiety and improving overall well-being, which can indirectly benefit both the economy and businesses. This study focuses on how to encourage physical activity among those experiencing health anxiety. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, this study gathered data through a combination of snowball and convenience sampling. A total of 423 valid questionnaires were obtained from employees across the public sector, manufacturing, services, and IT industries in three Chinese provinces: Shandong, Jiangxi, and Anhui. The research model and hypotheses were evaluated using structural equation modeling with SmartPLS. Results: The results indicate that health anxiety among young and middle-aged employees is positively associated with self-compassion and coping strategies. In turn, self-compassion contributes positively to the adoption of effective coping strategies, and both factors are linked to higher levels of physical activity participation. Moreover, self-compassion and coping strategies jointly serve as mediating mechanisms through which health anxiety influences individuals' engagement in physical activity. Discussion: Health anxiety can motivate young and middle-aged workers to adopt self-compassion and coping strategies, promoting physical activity. Governments and enterprises should improve sports facilities and foster active workplace cultures to support this. Meanwhile, employees are encouraged to choose physical activity as a healthy coping method to avoid the harms of maladaptive strategies.