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. 2025 Dec 15:13:1670171.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1670171. eCollection 2025.

How perceived environmental quality influences physical activity in urban green spaces? A moderated mediation model

Peng Zhang #  1 , Yuanzheng Lin #  2   3 , Bin Zhao  3 , Xiujie Ma  3 , Qingyuan Luo  3 , Changxu La  4
Affiliations

How perceived environmental quality influences physical activity in urban green spaces? A moderated mediation model

Peng Zhang et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine how residents' perceptions of urban green space environments influence their physical activity levels. Specifically, it investigates the mediating role of perceived restorativeness and the moderating role of spatial accessibility.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 307 residents in Chengdu, China. Structured questionnaires were used to measure perceived environmental quality, perceived restorativeness, spatial accessibility, and physical activity level. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and model fit assessments were performed in AMOS 24.0 to evaluate the reliability and validity of the measurement model. Mediation and moderation analyses were subsequently conducted in SPSS 26.0 using the PROCESS macro to test the indirect and interaction effects.

Results: Perceived environmental quality was positively associated with residents' physical activity levels (β = 0.707, p < 0.001). Perceived restorativeness partially mediated this relationship (β = 0.229, p < 0.001). Moreover, spatial accessibility significantly moderated the association (β = 0.185, p < 0.001), with a stronger relationship observed under higher accessibility conditions.

Conclusion: This study highlights the roles of psychological and spatial factors in understanding urban green space-related physical activity. Enhancing environmental quality, accessibility, and restorative characteristics of green spaces may help create conditions that are more conducive to residents' engagement in physical activity and overall well-being.

Keywords: moderated mediation; perceived environmental quality; perceived restorativeness; physical activity; spatial accessibility; urban green space.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The hypothetical model.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Standardized path coefficients of the mediation model. ***p < 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Interaction between perceived environmental quality and spatial accessibility.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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