Exercise self-efficacy in older adults with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: A latent profile analysis

China has a high prevalence rate of Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and there is currently limited understanding of the levels of exercise self-efficacy (ESE) among individuals with MAFLD. The objective was to explore the potential ESE patterns in older adults with MAFLD. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 800 older adults with fatty liver disease from five communities from April 20, 2023 to August 15, 2023. Latent profile analysis (LPA) and k-means clustering were used to determine the optimal number of ESE groups. Using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression to investigate the factors influencing profiles of ESE. A sample of 775 subjects met the diagnostic criteria for MAFLD. LPA yielded three profiles: the low-ESE, mild-ESE, and high-ESE groups, which comprised 25%, 28%, and 47% of the sample, respectively. K-means clustering further supported the categorization of ESE into three distinct classes. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that diabetes, arthritis and/or arthrosis, as well as companionship during PA were significant influencing factors for the different profiles (p ​< ​0.05). Our findings suggest that the ESE of older patients with MAFLD is primarily at a moderate level or above. There was population heterogeneity in ESE among older patients with MAFLD. Diabetes mellitus, arthritis, and/or arthrosis, as well as companionship during PA were significant factors in influencing the likelihood of having high ESE.