Understanding walking behaviour from an African context through the lenses of the theory of Planned behaviour

While walking behaviour has been extensively studied in the Global North, there remains a significant gap in understanding walking in the Global South, particularly in Africa. Existing research predominantly emphasises the influence of the built environment, often overlooking critical individual and social factors. This study examines the psychological constructs in walking for transportation in Kumasi, Ghana, through the lenses of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).

A structural model of the data collected from 693 participants revealed that intention is strongly associated with walking behaviour, with perceived behavioural control emerging as the primary factor related to intention. Contrary to many studies, attitude did not significantly predict walking intentions, suggesting that local contextual factors such as traffic safety concerns and sidewalk obstructions may diminish the role of affective and cognitive evaluations in walking decisions. Subjective norm also showed no direct association with intention, although it correlated with other TPB constructs.

These findings highlight the relevance of TPB in capturing psychological determinants of walking behaviour in an African urban setting. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first to employ the Theory of Planned Behaviour to explain walking behaviour in an African context, providing a reference for future research and urban transport planning in Ghana and similar settings.