Environmental perceptions and social support as predictors of continued participation in nighttime physical activity

Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study investigates how perceived environment and social support are associated with the intention to sustain nighttime physical activity, with attitude tested as a mediating variable. Employing a convenience sampling approach, the study conducted a questionnaire survey across various provinces in China, including Sichuan, Guangdong, Hainan, Jiangxi, Beijing, Shanghai, and Heilongjiang, in December 2024.Out of 4532 distributed questionnaires, 4032 were deemed valid after excluding the ineligible ones, achieving an effective response rate of 88.97%. The survey instrument encompassed six key variables: environmental perception, social support, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, attitude, and sustained participation intention, all evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale. Data analysis was performed utilizing SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 software. The study indicated that both environmental perception and social support were significantly associated with attitude, with coefficients of 0.367 and 0.347 (both p<0.001), respectively. Attitude was significantly associated with sustained participation intention (β=0.196,p<0.001). Direct associations with sustained participation intention were observed for both environmental perception (β=0.164, p<0.001) and social support (β=0.222, p<0.001). The mediation-consistent indirect association via attitude was substantial, accounting for 27.211% of the total association between environmental perception and sustained participation intention, and 28.567% between social support and sustained participation intention. The study demonstrates that perceived environment and social support are both significantly associated with individuals’ intention to engage in nocturnal physical activity, with attitude serving as a statistical mediator. By incorporating a social-ecological perspective that addresses environment-specific and social challenges unique to nighttime activities, our research extends the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to nighttime contexts. These findings provide an associative, theory-informed foundation for optimizing strategies to promote nocturnal physical activity, but do not establish causality.