The influence of exercise self-efficacy and gender on the relationship between exercise motivation and physical activity in college students

This study examined the relationships among exercise motivation, exercise self-efficacy, and physical activity rating, as well as the role of exercise self-efficacy in the above relationship. A survey was conducted among 362 college students (aged 19.0 ± 0.8 years, 185 males and 177 females) from a Chinese college using exercise motivation, self-efficacy, and physical activity assessment scales. The results revealed significant sex differences in exercise motivation, self-efficacy, and physical activity scores. Structural equation analysis revealed that ability motivation had a direct effect, accounting for 41.5% of the total effect, while the mediating effect of exercise self-efficacy accounted for 58.5%. Exercise self-efficacy has been proven to be a key predictor of physical activity in both general analysis and gender stratification analysis. From the results of path analysis, in the overall sample and the male group, the influence intensity of each variable on physical activity is the direct effect of exercise self-efficacy, the mediating effect of exercise self-efficacy and the direct effect of ability motivation. However, different influence patterns were observed in female groups: the direct effect of exercise self-efficacy still ranked first, followed by the direct effect of ability motivation, and finally, the mediating effect of exercise self-efficacy. This finding suggests that gender may be an important variable regulating the relationship between exercise self-efficacy and physical activity. Based on the above findings, this study emphasizes that gender-specific strategies should be adopted when formulating intervention programs for physical activity promotion: for male groups, it should focus on strengthening the cultivation of exercise self-efficacy, while for female groups, it should also focus on the improvement of ability motivation and the establishment of self-efficacy. This study provides an important empirical basis for improving the theory of health behavior promotion.