The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of sports media interest on exercise participation and exercise adherence intention among Chinese university students and to investigate the relationships among these variables. The findings are expe...
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of sports media interest on exercise participation and exercise adherence intention among Chinese university students and to investigate the relationships among these variables. The findings are expected to provide basic data for promoting physical activity participation and fostering healthy exercise habits among university students. The participants of this study were undergraduate students enrolled in 15 universities located in 13 cities of Jiangsu Province, China. Data were collected through the Chinese online survey platform Wenjuanxing. A total of 425 questionnaires were distributed, and after excluding incomplete and invalid responses, 407 valid questionnaires were used for the final analysis. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 26.0. Frequency analysis was conducted to identify the demographic characteristics of the participants. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were performed to verify the validity and reliability of the measurement instruments. In addition, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were employed to test the research hypotheses. The major findings of this study are as follows. First, the analysis of demographic characteristics revealed that most variables did not show significant differences across groups, except for a few specific variables. Second, sports media interest was found to have a significant positive effect on exercise participation. Higher levels of interest in sports media were associated with greater engagement in acquiring sports-related information and developing exercise skills. Third, sports media interest also had a significant positive effect on exercise adherence intention. This result indicates that sports media plays an important role in fostering positive attitudes toward exercise and strengthening individuals’ willingness to continue participating in physical activities. Fourth, exercise participation was found to have a significant positive effect on exercise adherence intention. In other words, the experiences and knowledge gained through exercise participation contribute to enhancing individuals’ intentions to maintain exercise behavior over time. In conclusion, sports media interest was identified as an important factor influencing both exercise participation and exercise adherence intention, while exercise participation played a key role in strengthening exercise adherence intention. Therefore, it is necessary to develop diverse educational content and participation programs utilizing sports media to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles among university students. Furthermore, creating supportive environments that encourage continuous exercise participation may contribute to health promotion and lifelong engagement in physical activity.