Associations between perceived campus walkability and self-reported exercise behavior among college students: a cross-sectional serial indirect-effects study of exercise motivation and general self-efficacy

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Objective This study examined the cross-sectional association between perceived campus walkability and self-reported exercise behavior among college students and explored indirect associations through exercise motivation and general self-efficacy under a prespecified serial ordering. The study aimed to inform the development of health-promoting university campuses and strategies to support student exercise behavior. Methods A cross-sectional online questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,739 undergraduate students recruited through multi-institutional convenience sampling from six undergraduate universities located in different regions of Shandong Province, China. Perceived campus walkability, exercise motivation, general self-efficacy, and exercise behavior were assessed using self-report measures. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple linear regression with demographic and background covariates were used to examine associations. Heteroscedasticity-consistent HC3 standard errors were reported. Cross-sectional indirect associations under the prespecified ordering of perceived campus walkability → exercise motivation → general self-efficacy → exercise behavior were estimated using PROCESS version 4.2 Model 6 with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Because all variables were measured at one time point, the indirect-effect analysis was not interpreted as establishing temporal mediation or causality. Results The mean scores were 136.99 (SD 15.86) for perceived campus walkability, 58.00 (SD 11.68) for exercise motivation, 26.90 (SD 7.11) for general self-efficacy, and 16.81 (SD 19.88) for exercise behavior. Exercise intensity was classified as light for 714 participants (41.1%), low for 400 (23.0%), moderate for 264 (15.2%), vigorous but non-sustained for 303 (17.4%), and vigorous and sustained for 58 (3.3%). Perceived campus walkability was positively correlated with exercise motivation ( r = 0.237), general self-efficacy ( r = 0.215), and exercise behavior ( r = 0.127). Exercise motivation ( r = 0.142) and general self-efficacy ( r = 0.170) were also positively correlated with exercise behavior (all p < 0.001). In the fully adjusted model, perceived campus walkability ( B = 0.066, HC3 SE = 0.028, 95% CI 0.011 to 0.121, p = 0.019) and exercise motivation ( B = 0.141, HC3 SE = 0.044, 95% CI 0.055 to 0.227, p = 0.001) were positively associated with exercise behavior. The coefficient for general self-efficacy was not statistically distinguishable from zero ( B = 0.141, HC3 SE = 0.076, 95% CI − 0.009 to 0.291, p = 0.065). The indirect association through exercise motivation was 0.0243 (95% bootstrap CI 0.0096 to 0.0413). In contrast, the indirect association through general self-efficacy (0.0051, 95% bootstrap CI − 0.0004 to 0.0123) and the serial indirect association through exercise motivation and general self-efficacy (0.0076, 95% bootstrap CI −0.0007 to 0.0159) included zero. Competing and reverse-direction models also yielded nonzero indirect associations, indicating that the assumed temporal ordering could not be determined from these cross-sectional data. Conclusion Perceived campus walkability showed a small positive association with self-reported exercise behavior among college students. Exercise motivation accounted for a statistically nonzero indirect association under the prespecified model, whereas indirect associations through general self-efficacy alone and through the serial pathway were not supported. These findings support combining improvements in campus destinations and walking access with strategies that strengthen students’ motivation to exercise; however, longitudinal or experimental studies are needed to determine temporal direction and causal mechanisms.

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