**Background:** The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted lifestyles, including physical activity levels, and has increased job burnout among healthcare workers. Physical activity is known to benefit mental health, but its association with job burnout in healthcare professionals during the pandemic, particularly in Peru—the country with the highest COVID-19 mortality rate—required further investigation.
**Methods:** This cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study included 300 healthcare workers (55% male, median age 34 years) from a public hospital in Rioja, San Martin, Peru. Data were collected via online and face-to-face surveys from October to December 2021. Physical activity was assessed using a single item asking how many times per week participants engaged in physical activity (never, 1–2 times, 3–4 times, or ≥5 times). Job burnout was measured using a validated 22-item questionnaire adapted for the Peruvian population (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95), covering emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal fulfillment dimensions, with scores ranging from 0 to 132. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were also collected. Crude and multivariable linear regression models were used, adjusting for age, origin, and profession as determined by a directed acyclic graph.
**Key Results:** Among participants, 41% reported never engaging in physical activity, 44% reported 1–2 times per week, 11% reported 3–4 times, and 5% reported >4 times per week. Mean job burnout scores decreased with increasing physical activity frequency: never = 66.3 (SD 20.5), 1–2 times = 60.0 (SD 17.5), 3–4 times = 52.0 (SD 18.9), >4 times = 51.3 (SD 19.4) (p < 0.001). In crude linear regression, participants who performed physical activity 1–2 times, 3–4 times, or >4 times per week had 6.29 (95% CI: −11.00 to −1.59), 14.28 (95% CI: −21.70 to −6.85), and 14.95 (95% CI: −25.17 to −4.72) lower burnout points, respectively, compared to those who never exercised. After adjustment for age, origin, and profession, the association remained significant with a dose-response effect: 3–4 times per week (B = −8.41, 95% CI: −15.72 to −1.09, p = 0.024) and >4 times per week (B = −11.37, 95% CI: −21.21 to −1.53, p = 0.024). The 1–2 times per week group did not show a significant difference in the adjusted model (B = −3.99, 95% CI: −8.50 to 0.53, p = 0.083). When stratified by sex, the association remained significant only among men, with stronger effects: men exercising 3–4 times per week scored 14.44 points lower (95% CI: −28.07 to −0.82, p = 0.038) and those exercising >4 times per week scored 20.66 points lower (95% CI: −34.87 to −6.45, p = 0.005) than men who never exercised.
**Clinical Implications:** This study demonstrates a clear inverse, dose-response association between weekly physical activity frequency and job burnout among healthcare workers during the pandemic. With 41% of participants reporting no physical activity and 41% having excess body weight, these findings highlight the need for occupational health interventions. The authors recommend implementing health education programs that promote even moderate physical activity (e.g., using stairs instead of elevators) as a feasible strategy to reduce burnout and improve the quality of medical care. Limitations include the use of a single-item physical activity assessment, cross-sectional design precluding causal inference, and limited generalizability due to the single-center, convenience sample in one Peruvian region.