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Are daily fluctuations in perceived environment associated with walking?
Eric B Hekler1, Matthew P Buman, David Ahn
1Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. ehekler@asu.edu
Psychology & Health
|January 5, 2012
Summary
Daily walking is influenced by personal factors like intentions and social support. Perceived access to supportive environments also boosts walking, highlighting a key area for future health interventions.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Environmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Physical environment influences walking behavior.
- Daily variations in perceived environments and their impact on walking are understudied.
- Understanding within-person factors is crucial for promoting physical activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine associations between within-person factors (implementation intentions, social support, affect, self-efficacy) and daily walking.
- Investigate the unique contribution of perceived environmental access and barriers to walking.
- Control for psychosocial factors when assessing environmental influences on walking.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multilevel modeling to analyze daily survey data from 14 participants in a walking intervention.
- Collected electronic survey data twice daily, reporting walking levels and psychosocial/environmental factors.
- Assessed within-person variations in implementation intentions, social support, affect, self-efficacy, perceived environmental access, and barriers.
Main Results:
- Daily variations in implementation intentions, social support, and positive affect were positively associated with walking.
- Perceived access to supportive environments was uniquely associated with increased walking, independent of other factors.
- Perceived environmental barriers did not show a significant unique association with walking levels.
Conclusions:
- Personal factors and perceived environmental support significantly influence daily walking behavior.
- Interventions should consider providing context-specific information on accessing supportive environments.
- Future research should integrate environmental perceptions into broader intervention development strategies for physical activity.
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