Associations Between the Residential Environment and Physical Activity in German College Students and the Role of Self-Efficacy as a Mediator

Social-ecological models suggest that influences on physical activity should be examined on multiple levels, but most of the empirical studies in this area have investigated the different levels separately. To integrate the different levels, we examined self-efficacy with respect to physical exercise as a mediator of the relation between environmental characteristics and physical activity. In a cross-sectional German study, 1,292 college students completed a questionnaire that included measures of their perceived residential environment, self-efficacy, and physical activity. Structural equation modeling was used to assess direct and indirect effects on physical activity. The cycling and wa…