Rural active aging as a development strategy: Nexus of physical exercise participation and multidimensional poverty in China

Participation in physical exercise can effectively alleviate multidimensional poverty, which is reflected in the enhancement of health level, economic status, living standard, and subjective perception sub-dimensions. Engaging in physical exercise can alleviate poverty through two channels: accumulating social capital and enhancing cultural capital. The construction and maintenance of rural sports facilities should be strengthened, a 'healthy labour model' combining physical exercise and agricultural production should be constructed, special sports poverty-alleviation initiatives should be implemented for "vulnerable" elderly people, and a 'Healthy Villages' project should be launched to promote the participation of all people in poverty alleviation. The 'Healthy Villages' programme has been launched to promote the participation of the entire population in physical exercise.