The study of perceived environment and its relation to senior citizen's physical activity behavior intention

An aging society exerts considerable influence on the health of the elderly. Studies indicate that regular physical activity can reduce the incidence of chronic diseases, promote senior citizens' mental health and cognitive functioning, and enhance quality of life. It shows decrease government expenditures on Medicare and welfare.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between perceived environment and a senior citizen's physical activity behavior intention. The study applies the theory of planned behavior (TPB) proposed by Ajzen (1991) to investigate senior citizens over the age of 65 in Taiwan. To distribute questionnaires, it uses the quota purposive sampling method. The study distributes 330 questionnaires and collects 326 valid questionnaires. Model verification of the data uses partial least squares (PLS) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (Fs/QCA). The results show that the model in this study has highly explanatory and has predictive power specificity. Environmental accessibility has significant influences on the physical activity behavior attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control of senior citizens. The results suggest that in Taiwanese communities there is either increase accessibility to exercise facilities or an increased number of facilities for the improvement of senior citizens' health.