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Affective response as a mediator of the association between the physical and social environment and physical activity behavior

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Abstract

Perceptions of the physical and social environment have been shown to be predictive of physical activity (PA) behavior. However, the mechanisms of this association have not been examined. Affective response to PA was examined as a putative mediator of the association between perceptions of the PA environment and subsequent PA behavior. As part of a PA promotion study, 59 low-active overweight or obese but otherwise healthy adults completed real-time assessments of the perceived physical and social PA environment, affective response to PA, and PA behavior over a 6-month period. As hypothesized, decreased latency to and greater duration of subsequent PA was predicted by engaging in PA with a partner (b = 17.24, SE = .45, p < .01), engaging in PA outdoors versus indoors (b = 3.70, SE = 0.67, p < .01), and perceived pleasantness of the physical (b = 0.59, SE = .17, p < .01) and social settings (b = 0.68, SE = .16, p < .01). Affective response to PA (a shift toward feeling good versus bad during PA) mediated the association between engaging in PA with a partner (a path: 0.53(.11), p < .01, b path: 0.42(.12), p < .01, ab path: 0.22(.08), 95% CI .09–.41) and perceived pleasantness of the physical (a path: .38(.02), p < .01; b path: .65(.23), p = .01; ab path: .25(.09), 95% CI .08–.43) and social setting (a path: .35(.02), p < .01; b path: .57(.23), p = .01; ab path: .20(.08), 95% CI .03–.37) and PA behavior, but not the association between engaging in PA outdoors versus indoors and PA behavior. These findings suggest that perceived environmental variables may have their effects on PA through the process of psychological hedonism.

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Funded by the National Cancer Institute: R21 CA137211.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA

    Holly K. Boyle, Shira I. Dunsiger, Jessica A. Emerson, Harold H. Lee & David M. Williams

  2. Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Shira I. Dunsiger

  3. Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA

    Lauren Connell Bohlen

  4. Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, NH, USA

    Courtney J. Stevens

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Holly K. Boyle, Shira I. Dunsiger, Lauren Connell Bohlen, Jessica A. Emerson, Harold H. Lee, Courtney J. Stevens and David M. Williams declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures followed were in accordance with ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Boyle, H.K., Dunsiger, S.I., Bohlen, L.C. et al. Affective response as a mediator of the association between the physical and social environment and physical activity behavior. J Behav Med 43, 773–782 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-019-00118-0

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