Impact of different physical activity domains on burnout among public healthcare workers in Selangor

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of burnout due to the extremely stressful nature of the healthcare profession. Physical activity (PA) is acknowledged as one of the protective factors for mental health. This study aimed to investigate the associations between different PA domains (occupation-related PA (OPA), transport-related PA (TPA), and leisure-time-related PA (LTPA)) and burnout among HCWs in Selangor. This is a cross-sectional study using the multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. The validated Global Physical Activity (GPAQ) and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) instruments were used. A chi-square test was used to identify the association, and Spearman’s rho correlation test was used to evaluate the strength and direction of the association between the PA domain and burnout. This study included a total of 302 HCWs and reported a prevalence of personal burnout (68.21%), work-related burnout (68.87%), and client-related burnout (76.16%). The study found that total PA was significantly associated with gender, education level, household income, profession, and smoking status, while OPA was associated with working station and chronic disease. TPA was influenced by marital status, household income, profession, working station, and years of service, whereas LTPA was primarily associated with gender, education level, working station, and smoking status. Both personal and work-related burnouts were inversely correlated with TPA (−0.247 to −0.226, p<0.001). The prevalence of burnouts among HCWs in Selangor was high. TPA, but not OPA or LTPA, was associated with a lower risk of personal and work-related burnout, suggesting that increased TPA would be beneficial to mental health.