title: Contextual and individual predictors of physical activity: Interactions between environmental factors and health cognitions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although health behavior theories assume a role of the context in health behavior self-regulation, this role is often weakly specified and rarely examined. The two studies in this article test whether properties of the environment (districts) affect if and how health-related cognitions are translated into physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multilevel modeling was used to examine the assumed cross-level interactions. Study 1 is a large-scale survey representative of the German adult population (N = 6,201). Gross domestic product (GDP) on the level of administrative districts was used to indicate environmental opportunities and barriers. Study 2 examined cross-level interactions of proximal predictors of physical activity (intentions, action planning, and coping planning) in older adults with multiple illnesses (N = 309), a high-risk group for health deteriorations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Study 1 showed that on the individual level, health attitudes (B = .11) and education (B = .71) were significantly associated with physical activity. GDP moderated the attitudes-behavior relation (B = .01), with higher attitude-behavior relations in districts with higher GDP. Study 2 finds that intention (B = .16), action planning (B = .17), and coping planning (B = .13) significantly predict activity. In addition, district-level GDP significantly moderated the relations between action planning and coping planning, but not intention, on physical activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that the effects of health attitudes and planning on physical activity are moderated by environmental factors. Districts with higher GDP provide better contextual opportunities for the enactment of concrete if-then plans for physical activity. This has implications for both theory and health promotion.
authors.affiliation: University of Tasmania, School of Psychology, Tasmania, Australia. benjamin.schuez@utas.edu.au
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schüz
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wurm
authors.forename: Jochen P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ziegelmann
authors.forename: Julia K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwarzer
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tesch-Römer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D059066:Gross Domestic Product / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*