Examining neighborhood influences on leisure-time walking in older Korean adults using an extended theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Promoting walking for health among older adults in Korea has received growing attention, but limited research on the association of environmental factors with walking has been conducted. This study examined the association of personal, social, and environmental variables with leisure-time walking in older Korean adults. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the integration of environmental variables into a model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). A cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample (N=335) of older Korean adults measured perceived environmental variables, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control (PBC), intention, and walking. Data were analyzed using a two-step approach: a measurement model was fit to the data; then structural models (TPB-only and TPB plus environmental variables) were tested and compared. SEM revealed that neighborhood quality and safety had significant positive relationships with the TPB variables and indirectly influenced intention and walking. Personal and social factors mediated the relationship between neighborhood environment and walking, and PBC was important in directly and indirectly influencing walking. The extended TPB model explained 65.0% of the variance in intention, and 45.0% of the variance in walking. The inclusion of neighborhood variables in the TPB model resulted in an additional 0.6% increase in the variance explained in walking habits. These findings suggest that perceived environmental variables might help explain older adults’ walking and that the TPB model with the environmental variables provides a useful framework to predict walking in older Korean adults.