ArticleFrontiers in psychology2025
A cross-sectional study on the correlation between exercise frequency and mental health among university students based on international physical activity questionnaire-short form classification: evidence from undergraduate students aged 18-22.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Dose-response relationship between physical activity and subjective sleep quality in patients with insomnia: a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Pooled it
- A latent profile analysis of exercise intensity preference and tolerance: associations with exercise affective experiences and physical activity.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Anxiety, Psychological Resilience, and Physical Activity Among University Students: Mediation and Latent Profile Analyses.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The bidirectional relationship between physical exercise and social self-efficacy: a cross-lagged model analysis of the mediating role of peer acceptance.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Vigorous physical activity is associated with mental well-being: indirect associations via resilience and physical self-esteem in university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Physical inactivity is tightly linked to mental health issues. In China, insufficient physical activity is common among university students, and their mental health concerns guarantee critical focus. Objective: Our study aims to conduct a cross-sectional investigation to explore the correlation between exercise frequency and mental health among university students, grouped according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). It further assesses differences in depressive and anxiety symptoms across groups with different levels of physical activity, to explain the protective influences of exercise on mental health. Methods: A cross-sectional design was adopted, including 430 undergraduate students aged 18-22 from Qufu Normal University and Shandong Huayu University of Technology. Participants were grouped into four groups according to the short form of the IPAQ (IPAQ-SF): frequent exercise group (FEG), occasional exercise group (OEG), infrequent exercise group (IEG), and no exercise group (NEG). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated utilizing the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), in turn. Interfering factors including gender, grade level, body mass index (BMI), and sleep quality were managed for. One-way ANOVA and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: The NEG group displayed significantly higher scores for both depression (PHQ-9: 9.12 ± 4.05 vs. 4.62 ± 2.71) and anxiety (GAD-7: 8.54 ± 3.76 vs. 3.85 ± 2.29) compared with the FEG group ( Conclusion: There is a dose-response link between exercise frequency and mental health. Regular physical activity has a significant protective influence against depression and anxiety among university students. Universities are proposed to promote exercise-based intervention strageties to increase students' mental well-being.
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