A Study On The Mediation Model Of The Relationship Between Perceived Urban Green Space Quality And Users’ Health Behavior Stages

Background: Human health and well-being are widely and deeply concerned around the world.Visiting urban green space(UGS)is one of the many health behaviors of urban residents.Previous studies have developed the concepts of accessibility and functionality of urban green space to explore the objective barriers faced by users when they intend to visit the green space.However,how urban green space helps potential users overcome the subjective barriers is still unclear.Therefore,this thesis carries out exploratory research,trying to provide additional ideas and evidences for the latter topic.Hypothesis: This thesis proposes the hypothesis that the perceived urban green space quality(PUGSQ),which is composed of perceived urban green space environmental aesthetic quality(PEAQ)and perceived open space quality for communication,(POSQ),has indirect effects as well as direct effects on uses’ s stages of healthy behavior in urban green space(HB＿UGS),and one of the mediators in the indirect effects is users’ self-efficacy to overcome subjective barriers(OBSE).This thesis gathers evidences for the hypothesis and the applicability of the hypothesis within various activity intensity or different social status groups.Materials: In this research,the Perceived Environmental Aesthetics Quality Scale(PEAQS),the Self-Efficacy to Overcome Barriers to Physical Activity Scale(SOBPAS)and the Physical Activity Stage Algorithm(PASA)were introduced,and the Perceived Open Space Quality for Communication Scale(POSQS)was developed.The online questionnaire consisting of these four scales and some other basic questions was released.439 valid samples were obtained and used as materials.IBM SPSS statistics 23.0 and IBM SPSS Amos 23.0 are used as analysis tools.Methods: The optimal scale conversion was conducted to HB＿UGS with the method of Categorical Regression.The exploratory factor analyses were conducted for PEAQ,POSQ and OBSE wth the methods of Principal Axis Factoring and Promax;then three measurement models were built and the confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with Maximum Likelihood Estimation.After the revision of the measurement models,the structural model put them together into a complete mediation model which is the graphical representation of the hypothesis.The covariance structure analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis: 1)the total effects,indirect effects and direct effects were estimated with the method of Bootstrapping;and 2)tests for partial invariance were conducted between different groups with the method of Chi-square Test.Conclusions:1)OBSE is a mediator between PUGSQ and HB＿UGS.The effects of OBSE are partial mediating effects.The maturity of potential users’ healthy behavior are influenced not only directly and positively by users’ good perceiption of urban green space quality,but also indirectly and positively by it through the increase of users’ self-efficacy to overcome their subjective barriers during potential visit to urban green space.2)The measurement models and structure model in the mediation model have multigroup invariance in the following four groups: low intensity activity,moderate or vigorous activity,activity on one’s own and activity with companion.3)The direct effects only show up in the group of low intensity activity,while the effects of OBES in the other three groups are complete mediating effects.The influence of good perception on the maturity of healthy behavior needs the former to increase users’ self-efficacy of overcoming barriers at the first place to a great extent.The choice of OBSE as the mediator is acceptable.4)In the acceptable mediation model,the contributions of 7 urban green space qualities are in the following order: sense of identity in open space,sense of ritual in open space,sublimity,harmony,physical environment in open space,social environment in open space,and mystery.Significance and Application: The mediation model obtained in this research welcomes more empirical research for further discussion.Moreover,on the basis of the above conclusions,it is suggested that the research findings may 1)help the public participation during the decision-making stage of UGS design or event planning,2)supplement the division of health behavior process with the “perception” stage in the circumstances of health behavior in UGS,and 3)promote the participation of landscape architecture in the broader discussion of multi-level influences of health behavior.