Multiple mediating roles of exercise self-efficacy, exercise value perceived, and subjective exercise experience between exercise atmosphere and exercise adherence
Authors: Jia Peng , Zhang Ting , He Xin-qi 
Published: September 2024

Objective For many years, the physical health of Chinese college students has been unsatisfactory, which is mainly caused by insufficient adherence to physical exercise. This study explored the mechanism of exercise atmosphere on Chinese college students’ exercise adherence, and analysed the multiple mediating effects of exercise self-efficacy, exercise value perceptions, subjective exercise experience, and exercise atmosphere, with a view to providing theoretical and practical bases for exercise atmosphere to promote college students’ exercise adherence.
Methods Using the Exercise Atmosphere Scale, Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale, Exercise Value Cognition Scale, Subjective Exercise Experience Scale, and Exercise Adherence Scale, 1,796 Chinese college students from general higher education institutions were surveyed, and the relevant data obtained were analysed using the correlation analysis method, the multiple regression analysis method, and the Bootstrap test method.
Results Exercise atmosphere had a significant positive predictive effect on exercise adherence (β = 0.411, t = 19.599, P < 0.01), which remained significant after putting in the mediator variables (exercise self-efficacy, subjective exercise experience, and exercise value perceptions) (β = 0.145, t = 8.097, P < 0.01); exercise atmosphere had a significant positive predictive effect on exercise self-efficacy, exercise value perceptions (β = 0.367, t = 17.081, P < 0.01; β = 0.395, t = 18.199, P < 0.01); exercise self-efficacy had a significant positive predictive effect on exercise adherence and subjective exercise experience (β = 0.331, t = 16.761, P < 0.01; β = 0.139, t = 5.485, P < 0.01);Subjective exercise experience was a significant positive predictor of exercise adherence (β = 0.198, t = 10.849, P < 0.01); exercise value perception was a significant positive predictor of subjective exercise experience and exercise adherence (β = 0.427, t = 17.023, P < 0.01; β = 0.262, t = 12.577, P < 0.01); and exercise atmosphere was not significant in predicting subjective exercise experience (β=-0.013, t=-0.538, p > 0.05)(β=-0.013, t=-0.538, P > 0.05) .Bootstrap test results showed that: (1) exercise atmosphere can positively and significantly predict college students’ exercise adherence, with an effect value of 0.092, accounting for 35.31%; (2) exercise atmosphere can influence college students’ exercise adherence through the mediation of exercise self-efficacy, with an effect value of 0.077, accounting for 29.49%; (3) exercise atmosphere can influence college students’ exercise adherence through the mediation of exercise value perception, with an effect value of 0.065, accounting for 25.21%;(4) Exercise atmosphere can influence college students’ exercise adherence through the chain-mediated effects of exercise value perception and subjective exercise experience, with an effect value of 0.021, accounting for 8.13%; (5) Exercise atmosphere can also influence college students’ exercise adherence through the chain-mediated effects of exercise self-efficacy and subjective exercise experience, with an effect value of 0.006, accounting for 2.47%.
Conclusion (1)exercise atmosphere can directly and positively predict college students’ exercise adherence; (2) exercise atmosphere can positively predict college students’ exercise adherence through exercise self-efficacy and exercise value perceptions, respectively, and the mediating roles of exercise self-efficacy and exercise value perceptions are significant; (3) exercise atmosphere can positively predict college students’ exercise adherence through exercise self-efficacy and subjective exercise experience, and the chain mediating role of exercise self-efficacy and subjective exercise is significant; (4) exercise atmosphere can positively predict college students’ exercise adherence through exercise value perceptions, and the chain mediating role of exercise value perceptions and subjective exercise is significant. chain mediation was significant; (4) exercise atmosphere was able to positively predict college students' exercise adherence through exercise value perceptions and subjective exercise experiences, and the chain mediation of exercise value perceptions and subjective exercise experiences was significant.