Integrating the Worksite Neighbourhood Environment and Social Cognition when Predicting Transport-related Walking in Chinese Employees

Background: As an accessible and inexpensive activity in daily life for employees, transport-related walking is a promising focus of physical activity initiatives. The purpose of this study was to integrate worksite neighborhood walkability with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict transport-related walking in Chinese employees using a longitudinal design.

Methods: A sample of 157 employees (Mage = 33.26 years; SD = 7.18) completed self-reported measures of their transport-related walking and perceived worksite neighborhood environment and TPB constructs at the baseline, and transport-related walking one month later.

Results: Path analyses revealed that intention had a direct effect on walking, while attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control had indirectly effects on walking via intention. Past behavior had a significant effect on walking, attenuated the intention-behavior effect substantially. However, there was no indirect effect from perceived worksite neighborhood walkability on walking through the TPB constructs. Further, perceived neighborhood walkability did not moderate the intention-walking relationship.

Conclusions: Perceived worksite neighborhood walkability had limited effects on transport-related walking, which seems to be a motivation-based behavior. However, transport-related walking may be influenced by past behavior. To promote the formation of habit on transport-related walking should be prioritized, and future experimental studies are needed.