Psychosocial Correlates of Sedentary Behavior Reduction Readiness Relevant to Zero-Time Exercise Among Chinese Adults in Sedentary Occupations: Cross-Sectional Study.
Xiong Z, Li X, et al. • JMIR public health and surveillance • 2026
Among Chinese adults in sedentary occupations, exercise motivation was positively associated with zero-time exercise-related intention, with model-implied indirect associations involving general self-efficacy and perceived physical activity triggers, with perceived triggers accounting for a larger increment in explained variance than general self-efficacy.
Key Findings
Results
Higher exercise motivation scores were associated with higher zero-time exercise-related intention proxy (ZTEx-IP) scores in a graded, nonlinear fashion.
Compared with participants in the lowest motivation tertile, those in the highest tertile had an adjusted score difference of 8.49 points (B=8.49, 95% CI 6.43-10.60; P<.001).
The association between exercise motivation and ZTEx-IP was nonlinear (P for nonlinearity <.001), assessed via restricted cubic splines.
Exercise motivation retained a direct association with ZTEx-IP in the prespecified ordered mediation model (B=0.167, 95% CI 0.088-0.246).
The study included 790 adults working full-time in sedentary occupations across 20 provincial-level administrative divisions in China, surveyed between May and September 2025.
Eligible participants reported at least 6 hours of work-related sitting on a typical workday.
Results
General self-efficacy showed a model-implied indirect association in the pathway between exercise motivation and ZTEx-IP.
The model-implied indirect association through general self-efficacy was B=0.104 (95% CI 0.057-0.155).
General self-efficacy accounted for a smaller increment in explained variance compared to perceived physical activity triggers (ΔR²=0.033 vs 0.054).
Estimates were derived using PROCESS Model 4 and 6 with 5000 bootstrap resamples and covariate adjustment.
The statistical ordering of associations does not establish that the constructs develop sequentially over time, per the authors' own interpretation.
Results
Perceived physical activity triggers showed a model-implied indirect association between exercise motivation and ZTEx-IP that was larger than the association through general self-efficacy.
The model-implied indirect association through perceived physical activity triggers was B=0.157 (95% CI 0.110-0.205).
Perceived triggers accounted for a larger increment in explained variance than general self-efficacy (ΔR²=0.054 vs 0.033).
The sequential (ordered) indirect association through both general self-efficacy and then perceived physical activity triggers was B=0.025 (95% CI 0.013-0.039).
The authors identify contextual cue salience as a 'candidate mechanism for prospective testing' but note this does not demonstrate intervention effectiveness.
Results
The adjusted outcome model explained 37.6% of the variance in ZTEx-IP scores.
The adjusted model R²=0.376, indicating that exercise motivation, general self-efficacy, and perceived physical activity triggers together accounted for 37.6% of variance in ZTEx-IP.
Multivariable regression and restricted cubic splines were used to examine graded and nonlinear associations.
PROCESS Models 4 and 6 were used to estimate covariate-adjusted direct and model-implied indirect associations.
The study design was cross-sectional, limiting causal inference.
Background
Zero-time exercise (ZTEx) is conceptualized as a strategy that integrates brief muscle-engaging movements into daily routines without requiring dedicated time or equipment to interrupt prolonged sitting.
ZTEx was proposed as a practical approach for sedentary occupational settings where conventional exercise opportunities are limited.
General sedentary behavior reduction intention was used as a zero-time exercise-related intention proxy (ZTEx-IP).
The study was cross-sectional and measured intention rather than actual ZTEx behavior or objectively measured sitting interruptions.
The authors call for workplace trials evaluating actual ZTEx frequency, objectively measured sitting interruptions, adherence over time, and workplace acceptability.
Methods
The study sample consisted of 790 Chinese adults in full-time sedentary occupations drawn from 20 provincial-level administrative divisions in China.
Data were collected via cross-sectional survey between May and September 2025.
Inclusion required reporting at least 6 hours of work-related sitting on a typical workday.
Standardized questionnaires assessed exercise motivation, general self-efficacy, perceived physical activity triggers, and the ZTEx-IP.
The geographic spread across 20 provincial-level divisions was intended to improve representativeness of the Chinese sedentary working adult population.
What This Means
This research suggests that among Chinese office workers and others who sit for most of their workday, people who are more motivated to exercise are also more inclined to want to reduce their sedentary behavior — which was used as a stand-in measure for willingness to adopt 'zero-time exercise' (ZTEx). ZTEx refers to small bursts of muscle-engaging movement woven into daily routines, like standing, stretching, or minor physical tasks, without needing extra time or gym equipment. The study surveyed 790 adults across China who sit at least 6 hours a day for work, and found that those with the highest exercise motivation scores had meaningfully higher intention to reduce sitting compared to those with the lowest motivation scores.
The study also found that two psychological factors — general self-efficacy (a person's belief in their own ability to succeed at tasks) and perceived physical activity triggers (awareness of contextual cues that prompt movement) — both appeared to play a role in connecting exercise motivation to intention. Perceived triggers had a somewhat stronger statistical relationship with the outcome than self-efficacy did. Together, motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived triggers explained about 38% of the variation in people's intention scores. Importantly, the study cannot prove that these factors cause each other or that changing them would change behavior — it only identifies associations at a single point in time.
This research suggests that workplace interventions aimed at reducing prolonged sitting might benefit from targeting not just people's motivation, but also their awareness of environmental cues that prompt movement and their confidence in their ability to act. The authors recommend future studies that test these ideas in real workplace settings, measuring actual movement behavior over time rather than just intentions, to determine whether contextually adapted strategies can genuinely help people sit less during the workday.
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Xiong Z, Li X, Chai L, Duan X, Hu X, Xie Y, et al.. (2026). Psychosocial Correlates of Sedentary Behavior Reduction Readiness Relevant to Zero-Time Exercise Among Chinese Adults in Sedentary Occupations: Cross-Sectional Study.. JMIR public health and surveillance. https://doi.org/10.2196/95707