Open Access

ARTICLE

Impact of Exercise Atmosphere on Adolescents’ Exercise Behavior: Chain Mediating Effect of Exercise Identity and Exercise Habit

Zhen Su^1,*, Ziqiang Zhang², Yonghao Zhou³

1 Physical Education and Military Training Department, Zhijiang College of Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 312000, China
2 Basic Department, Zhejiang Changzheng Vocational & Technical College, Hangzhou, 310023, China
3 Physical Education Department, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310059, China

* Corresponding Author: Zhen Su. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Social Stress, Adversity, and Mental Health in Transitional China)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2024, 26(7), 579-588. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2024.051842

Received 16 May 2024; Accepted 18 June 2024; Issue published 30 July 2024

Abstract

Appropriate physical exercise has a positive impact on adolescents’ physical and mental health, but there is a serious lack of physical exercise among Chinese adolescents. How to shape their exercise behavior (EB) has become an important task in promoting their development. A questionnaire survey was conducted using stratified cluster random sampling on three middle schools by class in Zhejiang Province, China to investigate the impact of exercise atmosphere (EA) on adolescents’ exercise behavior and the mediating role of exercise identity (EI) and exercise habit (EH). 806 adolescents were investigated by the Exercise Atmosphere Scale (EAS), Exercise-Identity Scale (EIS), Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI), and Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3). The results show that: There is a significant positive correlation between each two of exercise atmosphere, exercise identity, exercise habit, and exercise behavior (p < 0.05). Exercise atmosphere could not only directly affect adolescents’ physical exercise behavior but can also indirectly affect their physical exercise behavior through the mediating effect of exercise identity and exercise habit, involving three mediating pathways, namely, the mediating path through exercise identity, the mediating pathway through exercise habit and the chain mediating pathway through exercise identity and exercise habit. The direct effect of exercise atmosphere on exercise behavior was 0.459 (p < 0.01), accounting for 62.62% of the total effect of 0.733, and its indirect effect was 0.274, accounting for 37.28% of the total effect. To a certain extent, the mediating effect model reveals the mechanism of exercise atmosphere affecting exercise behavior and has a certain reference value for promoting adolescents’ exercise behavior. We should start by creating an exercise atmosphere, cultivating exercise identity, and enhancing exercise habits to help teenagers form active physical exercise behaviors.

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Keywords

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