AUTHOR=Zhao Yu Shun , Ma Qi Shuai , Li Xing Yi , Guo Ke Lei , Chao Liu 

TITLE=The relationship between exercise motivation and exercise behavior in college students: The chain-mediated role of exercise climate and exercise self-efficacy

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1130654

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1130654

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>This study explored the relationship between college students’ physical activity motivation and exercise behavior and constructed a chain mediation model through the mediating roles of exercise climate and exercise self-efficacy.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>By random sampling, 1,032 college students were investigated using the <italic>Exercise Motivation Scale, Physical Exercise Rating Scale, Exercise Climate Scale, and Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale.</italic></p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>(1) There was a huge positive correlation between exercise motivation and exercise behavior (<italic>r</italic> = 0.240, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01), and the immediate ways of linking exercise motivation to exercise behavior were critical (<italic>β</italic> = 0.068, <italic>t</italic> = 0.040, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01). (2) Exercise motivation could positively predict exercise climate (<italic>β</italic> = 0.373, <italic>t</italic> = 0.061, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01) and exercise self-efficacy (<italic>β</italic> = 0.174, <italic>t</italic> = 0.039, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01), and exercise climate could emphatically foresee exercise behavior (<italic>β</italic> = 0.302, <italic>t</italic> = 0.051, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01). Exercise self-efficacy could foresee exercise behavior decidedly (<italic>β</italic> = 0.190, <italic>t</italic> = 0.048, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01). (3) Exercise climate and exercise self-efficacy play a critical intervening role between exercise motivation and exercise behavior. The intercession impact is explicitly made out of aberrant impacts created in three ways: exercise motivation → exercise climate → exercise behavior (mediating effect value: 0.113); exercise motivation → exercise self-efficacy → exercise behavior (mediating effect value: 0.033); exercise motivation → exercise climate → exercise self-efficacy → exercise behavior (mediating effect value: 0.027).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>(1) Exercise climate, exercise self-efficacy, and exercise behavior can all be significantly predicted by exercise motivation, suggesting that exercise motivation may help to enhance these variables. (2) In addition to having a direct impact on exercise behavior, exercise motivation can also have an indirect impact through the separate mediating effects of exercise climate and exercise self-efficacy as well as the chain mediating effect of exercise climate and exercise self-efficacy, which is crucial for encouraging college students to engage in physical activity.</p></sec>