Integrating perceptions of the school neighbourhood environment with constructs from the theory of planned behaviour when predicting transport-related cycling among Chinese college students

Abstract

Aim: Using a longitudinal design, the purpose of this study was to test a model integrating perceptions of the school neighbourhood environment with constructs from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to predict transport-related cycling among Chinese college students.

Methods: A sample of 630 (M_age = 18.95 years; SD = 1.16) Chinese college students completed baseline measures that included perceptions of the school neighbourhood environment, TPB constructs, transport-related cycling, and covariates. Of those, 547 students (M_age = 18.90 years; SD = 0.92) also completed measures of transport-related cycling one month later.

Results: Findings showed that intention had a direct effect on students’ transport-related cycling, while attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control predicted cycling indirectly via intention. Perceptions of the school neighbourhood environment did not provide an indirect effect on cycling via the TPB constructs, although some perceived environmental factors had indirect effects on intention via attitudes and subjective norm. Further, those who perceived better street connectivity showed a larger intention-cycling relationship than those who perceived less street connectivity.

Conclusions: Findings of this study highlight the importance of integrating perceptions of the school neighbourhood environment with the TPB constructs to explain transport-related cycling through both intention formation and action control (i.e. translating intention into behaviour). The identified moderator of perceived street connectivity on the intention-cycling relationship suggests that efficient cycling routes may impact action control of cycling. Future research applying dual process and action control models beyond TPB may contribute to the identification of the multilevel determinants of transport-related cycling.

Keywords:

• Active transportation
• past behaviour
• perception of physical environment
• school neighbourhood environment
• theory of planned behaviour
• transport-related cycling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here (https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2019.1707879)

Additional information

Funding

Chun-Qing Zhang was supported by a Start-up Grant (#38-40-225) awarded by Hong Kong Baptist University. Ryan E. Rhodes was supported by a Kennedy Y.H. Wong Distinguished Visiting Professorship from Hong Kong Baptist University. He is also supported by funds from the Canadian Cancer Society, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.