Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2010 Aug 5;7:61. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-7-61.
An understanding of the contributing factors to be considered when examining how individuals engage in physical activity is important for promoting population-based physical activity. The environment influences long-term effects on population-based health behaviors. Personal variables, such as self-efficacy and social support, can act as mediators of the predictive relationship between the environment and physical activity. The present study examines the direct and indirect effects of environmental, psychological, and social factors on walking, moderate-intensity activity excluding walking, and vigorous-intensity activity among Japanese adults.
The participants included 1,928 Japanese adults aged 20-79 years. Seven sociodemographic attributes (e.g., gender, age, education level, employment status), psychological variables (self-efficacy, pros, and cons), social variables (social support), environmental variables (home fitness equipment, access to facilities, neighborhood safety, aesthetic sensibilities, and frequency of observing others exercising), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire were assessed via an Internet-based survey. Structural equation modeling was conducted to determine associations between environmental, psychological, and social factors with physical activity.
Environmental factors could be seen to have indirect effects on physical activity through their influence on psychological and social variables such as self-efficacy, pros and cons, and social support. The strongest indirect effects could be observed by examining the consequences of environmental factors on physical activity through cons to self-efficacy. The total effects of environmental factors on physical activity were 0.02 on walking, 0.02 on moderate-intensity activity excluding walking, and 0.05 on vigorous-intensity activity.
The present study indicates that environmental factors had indirect effects on walking, moderate-intensity activity excluding walking and vigorous-intensity activity among Japanese adults, especially through the effects on these factors of self-efficacy, social support, and pros and cons. The findings of the present study imply that intervention strategies to promote more engagement in physical activity for population-based health promotion may be necessary.
了解在考察个体如何参与身体活动时需要考虑的影响因素对于促进基于人群的身体活动非常重要。环境会对基于人群的健康行为产生长期影响。个人变量,如自我效能感和社会支持,可以作为环境与身体活动之间预测关系的中介。本研究检验了环境、心理和社会因素对日本成年人步行、步行以外的中等强度活动和剧烈强度活动的直接和间接影响。
参与者包括 1928 名 20-79 岁的日本成年人。通过互联网调查评估了 7 个社会人口属性(例如,性别、年龄、教育水平、就业状况)、心理变量(自我效能感、赞成和反对)、社会变量(社会支持)、环境变量(家庭健身设备、设施可达性、邻里安全、审美意识和观察他人锻炼的频率)和国际体力活动问卷。结构方程模型用于确定环境、心理和社会因素与身体活动之间的关联。
环境因素可以通过对自我效能感、赞成和反对以及社会支持等心理和社会变量的影响,对身体活动产生间接影响。通过检查环境因素对身体活动的影响,通过对自我效能感的反对,观察到最强的间接影响。环境因素对步行、步行以外的中等强度活动和剧烈强度活动的总效应分别为 0.02、0.02 和 0.05。
本研究表明,环境因素对日本成年人的步行、步行以外的中等强度活动和剧烈强度活动有间接影响,特别是通过对自我效能感、社会支持和赞成和反对的影响。本研究的结果表明,可能需要采取干预策略来促进更多的身体活动,以促进基于人群的健康促进。