FOOTBIKE exercise enhances mental health through improved executive function in university students

Introduction This study investigated the effects of FOOTBIKE exercise on mental health and executive function in university students, aiming to explore a novel exercise-based approach for mental health promotion in higher education settings. Methods Sixty healthy undergraduate students from Shandong Sport University were randomly assigned to either an experimental group ( n = 30) or a control group ( i = 30). The experimental group completed an 8-week FOOTBIKE intervention consisting of three 60-min sessions per week, while the control group maintained routine activities and regular physical education classes. Pre- and post-intervention assessments utilized an AI-based physiological and psychological monitoring system, a 2-back working memory task, and a Go/No-Go inhibitory control task. Results Following the FOOTBIKE exercise intervention, the experimental group exhibited significantly reduced anxiety and inhibition indices compared to the control group ( p < 0.05), together with significantly enhancing reaction capacity and stress resilience ( p < 0.05). Reaction times in both the 2-back working memory task and the Go/No-Go inhibitory control task were also significantly reduced after FOOTBIKE training ( p < 0.05), indicating improvements in cognitive processing efficiency and inhibitory control. There was a significant group 7 time interaction effect on the inhibition index, reaction times in the 2-back task, and reaction times in the Go/No-Go task. In contrast, no significant differences were observed in conventional physiological indicators or task accuracy, suggesting that the psychological benefits of FOOTBIKE exercise may be more closely related to cognitive and emotional regulatory adaptations than to general physiological conditioning alone. Furthermore, random forest analysis identified reaction speed, anxiety index, stress tolerance, and executive-function-related variables as important contributors distinguishing the experimental group after intervention, which was further supported by principal component analysis. Conclusion FOOTBIKE exercise enhances mental health primarily through improvements in executive function, emotional regulation, cognitive responsiveness, and stress adaptation capacity. As a cognitively engaging, enjoyable, safe, and easily scalable form of physical activity, FOOTBIKE may represent a promising intervention strategy for university physical education curricula and mental health promotion programs.