Health behavior protection motivation among UIA patients was generally moderate and heterogeneous, falling into three latent profiles (low 21.0%, moderate 53.0%, high 26.0%), with educational level, sleep quality, smoking, alcohol consumption and health-promoting lifestyle (HPLP-II) score influencing profile membership.
UIA patients had moderate overall levels of health behavior protection motivation and health-promoting lifestyle.
Protection motivation was strongly positively correlated with health-promoting lifestyle.
Latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles of protection motivation among UIA patients.
HPLP-II scores differed significantly across the three latent profiles.
Several demographic and lifestyle characteristics differed significantly across profiles.
For membership in the moderate versus (reference) group, higher education, better sleep quality and higher HPLP-II score were facilitators, whereas smoking and alcohol consumption were barriers.
For the high protection motivation group, educational level and HPLP-II score were facilitators and alcohol consumption was a barrier.
The authors propose that stratified, personalized interventions based on latent profile characteristics could enhance protection motivation and health-promoting behaviors in UIA patients.
This study surveyed 300 people with unruptured brain aneurysms at one hospital in China to see how motivated they were to protect their health through healthy behaviors. Using Protection Motivation Theory, which looks at how people respond to perceived threats, the researchers found that motivation and healthy lifestyle scores were generally moderate. People who were more motivated also tended to have healthier lifestyles (a strong correlation of 0.73). Statistical grouping showed that patients did not all look alike: about 21% had low motivation, 53% moderate, and 26% high. Higher education, better sleep and a healthier lifestyle score were linked with being in the moderate or high motivation groups, while smoking and drinking alcohol were linked with lower motivation. This research suggests that patients with unruptured aneurysms may benefit from care tailored to their motivation level rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. However, the study was a single-hospital convenience sample and a cross-sectional survey, so it shows associations rather than cause and effect, and it cannot show whether changing motivation would reduce rupture risk.
Huang S, Liu Y, Xie W, Zhang C, Li X, Liu S, et al.. (2026). Analysis of the potential profile and influencing factors of health behavior protection motivation in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms based on protection motivation theory.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1942155