Affective judgments, environmental determinants, and physical activity in emerging and young adults

Abstract

Objective

Affective judgements represent a promising target for promoting physical activity among adults. This study examined whether relations between affective judgments and physical activity are robust after adjusting for social, built, and natural environmental determinants.

Design

Prospective cross-sectional study with 173 adults (70.1% female) aged 18–29 years who self-reported less than 90 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Main Outcome Measure

Physical activity volume (total daily step count, total activity counts) and durations of intensity-specific physical activity (light-intensity activity and moderate-to-vigorous intensity) were assessed for a seven-day period via waist-worn ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer.

Results

Affective judgements were not statistically associated with measures of physical activity volume or intensity-specific physical activity after adjusting for environmental influences. Support for exercise from friends was positively associated with measures of physical activity volume and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity duration. More favorable perceptions of the built environment were positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity and negatively associated with duration of light-intensity physical activity. Longer photoperiods were associated with more light-intensity physical activity.

Conclusion

Physical activity interventions for young and emerging adults reporting inactivity should target environmental determinants first and possibly wait until participants have a motivational stake in physical activity before targeting affective judgments.

Keywords:

• Prospective studies
• social-ecological model
• multilevel influences
• exercise

Acknowledgement

We thank Ms. Deborah Brunke-Reese for her contributions to this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, DEC, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The project was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through Grant R01 HL142732. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. The authors declare that there are no competing interests.