Distinct 24-hour movement behaviour profiles and their associations with negative affect among Chinese university students.

backgroundUniversity students experience a high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress, while simultaneously undergoing substantial changes in daily movement behaviours. From a 24-hour movement behaviour perspective, sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity are interdependent components of a fixed time budget, yet little is known about how distinct combinations of these behaviours cluster among Chinese university students and how such patterns relate to negative affect.

methodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted from October 2024 to April 2025 using stratified cluster and simple random sampling across universities in Shandong, Zhejiang and Tianjin, yielding 1,056 valid responses. The 24-Hour Movement Behaviour Questionnaire (24HMBQ) assessed sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity. Negative affect was measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify behavioural profiles, and the R3STEP and Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) approaches were used to examine demographic predictors and differences in negative affect.

resultsA two-profile solution was retained as the primary representation of 24-hour movement behaviours among Chinese university students, comprising a lower-activity profile (86.0%) and a higher-activity profile (14.0%). Compared with the lower-activity profile, the higher-activity profile showed substantially higher levels of vigorous-, moderate-, and light-intensity physical activity, lower screen-based sedentary behaviour, and slightly higher study-related sedentary time. Gender and academic year significantly predicted profile membership, with female students being less likely and junior students more likely to belong to the higher-activity profile. BCH analyses further showed that students in the lower-activity profile reported significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than those in the higher-activity profile.

conclusionsChinese university students showed heterogeneity in 24-hour movement behaviours, but the most robust distinction was between lower-activity and higher-activity patterns. Lower-activity patterns were associated with less favourable emotional outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of an integrated 24-hour movement perspective and suggest that interventions aimed at reducing screen-based sedentary behaviour and increasing physical activity may help promote emotional wellbeing in university students.