Associations between perceived campus walkability and self-reported exercise behavior among college students: a cross-sectional serial indirect-effects study of exercise motivation and general self-efficacy.
Liu G, Zhao J, et al. • Frontiers in public health • 2026
Perceived campus walkability showed a small positive association with self-reported exercise behavior among college students, with exercise motivation accounting for a statistically nonzero indirect association, though longitudinal or experimental studies are needed to determine temporal direction and causal mechanisms.
Key Findings
Results
Perceived campus walkability was positively correlated with exercise motivation, general self-efficacy, and exercise behavior among college students.
Sample consisted of 1,739 undergraduate students from six universities in Shandong Province, China, recruited via multi-institutional convenience sampling.
Perceived campus walkability correlated with exercise motivation (r = 0.237), general self-efficacy (r = 0.215), and exercise behavior (r = 0.127), all p < 0.001.
Mean perceived campus walkability score was 136.99 (SD 15.86).
Mean exercise behavior score was 16.81 (SD 19.88).
Results
In the fully adjusted regression model, perceived campus walkability was positively associated with exercise behavior.
B = 0.066, HC3 SE = 0.028, 95% CI 0.011 to 0.121, p = 0.019.
Heteroscedasticity-consistent HC3 standard errors were used.
The association was described as 'small' by the authors.
Demographic and background covariates were included in the fully adjusted model.
Results
Exercise motivation was positively associated with exercise behavior in the fully adjusted model, but general self-efficacy was not statistically distinguishable from zero.
Exercise motivation: B = 0.141, HC3 SE = 0.044, 95% CI 0.055 to 0.227, p = 0.001.
General self-efficacy: B = 0.141, HC3 SE = 0.076, 95% CI -0.009 to 0.291, p = 0.065.
Exercise motivation correlated with exercise behavior at r = 0.142, and general self-efficacy at r = 0.170 (both p < 0.001).
Mean exercise motivation score was 58.00 (SD 11.68) and mean general self-efficacy score was 26.90 (SD 7.11).
Results
The indirect association between perceived campus walkability and exercise behavior through exercise motivation alone was statistically nonzero.
Indirect association through exercise motivation = 0.0243 (95% bootstrap CI 0.0096 to 0.0413), excluding zero.
Analysis used PROCESS version 4.2 Model 6 with 5,000 bootstrap resamples.
The prespecified ordering was: perceived campus walkability → exercise motivation → general self-efficacy → exercise behavior.
Results
Indirect associations through general self-efficacy alone and through the serial pathway (exercise motivation → general self-efficacy) were not supported.
Indirect association through general self-efficacy alone = 0.0051 (95% bootstrap CI -0.0004 to 0.0123), including zero.
Serial indirect association through exercise motivation and then general self-efficacy = 0.0076 (95% bootstrap CI -0.0007 to 0.0159), including zero.
Competing and reverse-direction models also yielded nonzero indirect associations, indicating the assumed temporal ordering could not be determined from cross-sectional data.
Results
The majority of college students in the sample reported light or low exercise intensity.
Light intensity: 714 participants (41.1%).
Low intensity: 400 participants (23.0%).
Moderate intensity: 264 participants (15.2%).
Vigorous but non-sustained: 303 participants (17.4%); vigorous and sustained: 58 participants (3.3%).
Methods
Because all variables were measured at one time point, the indirect-effect analysis was not interpreted as establishing temporal mediation or causality.
The study design was cross-sectional, using an online questionnaire survey.
The authors explicitly note that competing and reverse-direction models also yielded nonzero indirect associations.
The authors call for longitudinal or experimental studies to determine temporal direction and causal mechanisms.
All measures were self-reported.
What This Means
This research suggests that college students who perceive their campus as more walkable — with accessible destinations and pedestrian-friendly environments — tend to report slightly more exercise. The study surveyed 1,739 undergraduates across six universities in China and found that higher perceived walkability was linked to greater exercise motivation, higher general self-efficacy (confidence in one's ability to handle challenges), and modestly more exercise. Importantly, when researchers looked at possible pathways connecting walkability to exercise, they found that exercise motivation appeared to play a connecting role, while general self-efficacy on its own did not show a statistically clear indirect role. Most students in the sample reported exercising at only light or low intensity levels, with only about 3% engaging in vigorous, sustained exercise.
This research suggests that making campuses more walkable may help nudge students toward being more physically active, and that fostering students' motivation to exercise could be an important part of this picture. However, the study has significant limitations: because it collected all data at a single point in time, it cannot determine whether walkability actually causes changes in motivation or exercise behavior, or whether the reverse is true. The authors note that alternative orderings of these variables produced similar statistical patterns, meaning the specific pathway assumed by the study cannot be confirmed from these data alone. Future studies tracking students over time or using interventions would be needed to establish cause and effect.
For university administrators and public health planners, this research suggests that investing in campus infrastructure — such as improved walking paths and accessible destinations — combined with programs that strengthen students' desire and reasons to exercise, may be a promising combined approach to supporting student health. The findings apply specifically to a Chinese university context and may not generalize to all student populations.
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Liu G, Zhao J, Zhao M, Zhao Y, Zhao C. (2026). Associations between perceived campus walkability and self-reported exercise behavior among college students: a cross-sectional serial indirect-effects study of exercise motivation and general self-efficacy.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1871624