File(s) under permanent embargo

Recreational facilities and leisure-time physical activity : an analysis of moderators and self-efficacy as a mediator

journal contribution
posted on 2008-03-01, 00:00 authored by Ester Cerin, C Vandelanotte, Evie Leslie, D Merom
Objective: To examine socio-demographic and psychosocial moderators, and self-efficacy as a mediator of the cross-sectional relationships between having access to recreational facilities and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA); to investigate the extent to which the environment-LTPA associations could be explained by self-selection to neighborhoods.

Design: A two-stage stratified sampling design was used to recruit 2,650 adults (aged 20-65) from 32 urban communities varying in walkability and socioeconomic status. Participants reported perceived access to facilities and home equipment for LTPA, weekly minutes of LTPA, self-efficacy for and enjoyment of LTPA, reasons for neighborhood selection, and socio-demographic characteristics.

Main Outcome Measures:
Self-reported recreational walking and other forms of moderate-to-vigorous LTPA expressed in MET-minutes.

Results: Specific types of recreational facilities were independently  associated with LTPA. Age, education, being overweight/ obese, reasons for neighborhood selection, enjoyment of, and self-efficacy for LTPA moderated these relationships. Self-efficacy was not a significant mediator of these cross-sectional associations.

Conclusion:
These findings have potentially significant implications for the planning of environmental interventions aimed at increasing population-level LTPA particularly in those who are less attitudinally inclined to being physically active.

History

Journal

Health psychology

Volume

27

Issue

2 Suppl.

Pagination

126 - 135

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Location

Washington, D.C.

ISSN

0278-6133

eISSN

1930-7810

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal article

Copyright notice

2008, American Psychological Association