Can the sports apps using play an intervening role in the process of college students’ exercise motivation affecting mental health by exercise adherence?

The continuous increase in college students' use of the Internet and their mental health problems caused by a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and obesity have gradually attracted researchers' attention. There is still more work to be done to understand "how" and "under what circumstances" exercise motivation effects mental health, despite the fact that many of these studies have demonstrated that it has a significant impact on it. Four hundred forty-three college students in China were selected to participate in this study in order to explore the impact of exercise motivation on mental health. The mediating role of exercise adherence and the moderating role of sports apps using in this relationship. The results show that exercise motivation has a significant positive impact on college students' mental health; exercise adherence partially mediates the relationship between exercise motivation and mental health; and the relationship between exercise motivation and exercise adherence is moderated by sports apps using. Specifically, the relationship between exercise motivation and exercise adherence is stronger for college students with high sports apps using. This study is based on the Internet using to promote physical exercise to college students, thereby alleviating their psychological problems caused by a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and obesity in the Internet era. New ideas are also provided for intervention in college students' mental health.