Johannes Chanté, Roman Nicolette V, Onagbiye Sunday O, Titus Simone, Leach Lloyd L
Department of Sports, Recreation, and Exercise Science, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Families and Society, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Apr 3;21(4):441. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21040441.
Psychosocial factors such as mental health, motivation, and social support are key determinants of behavior that play a significant role in physical activity participation. Limited studies have investigated the relationship between psychosocial factors and physical activity among university students in Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between psychosocial factors and physical activity participation among undergraduate university students at a historically disadvantaged university (HDU) in South Africa. This was a cross-sectional study that used convenience sampling ( = 534, majority female, 53.6% with a mean age of 20.69). The study was conducted through an online, self-administered, and hard-copy, valid questionnaire in September 2022. Data on sociodemographic information were collected. Psychosocial factors were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-21 Scale for mental health, the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale for motivation, and the Perceived Social Support Scale for social support. Physical activity (calculated as MET-min/week) was assessed using the international physical activity questionnaire in short form. Results revealed that almost a third (29%) of undergraduate students were physically inactive, 31.1% were minimally active, and 39.9% were in the health-enhancing category. Physical activity was positively related to stress (r = 0.11, < 0.05) and anxiety (r = 0.10, < 0.05). Motivational factors were positively related to psychological condition and others' expectations (r = 0.10, < 0.05), and depression and others' expectations (r = 0.11, < 0.05). Results from this study highlighted that psychosocial factors were related to physical activity participation among undergraduate university students. Psychosocial factors should be considered a coping mechanism when implementing health-promoting strategies.
心理健康、动机和社会支持等心理社会因素是行为的关键决定因素，在体育活动参与中发挥着重要作用。在非洲，针对大学生心理社会因素与体育活动之间关系的研究较少。本研究旨在确定南非一所历史上处于劣势的大学（HDU）本科大学生心理社会因素与体育活动参与之间的关系。这是一项横断面研究，采用便利抽样（n = 534，多数为女性，53.6%，平均年龄20.69岁）。该研究于2022年9月通过在线、自我管理的纸质有效问卷进行。收集了社会人口学信息数据。使用抑郁、焦虑和压力-21量表评估心理健康的心理社会因素，使用体育活动与休闲动机量表评估动机，使用感知社会支持量表评估社会支持。体育活动（以MET-分钟/周计算）使用国际体力活动简短问卷进行评估。结果显示，近三分之一（29%）的本科生缺乏体育活动，31.1%的学生体育活动极少，39.9%的学生属于增进健康类别。体育活动与压力呈正相关（r = 0.11，p < 0.05），与焦虑呈正相关（r = 0.10，p < 0.05）。动机因素与心理状况和他人期望呈正相关（r = 0.10，p < 0.05），与抑郁和他人期望呈正相关（r = 0.11，p < 0.05）。本研究结果突出表明，心理社会因素与本科大学生的体育活动参与有关。在实施促进健康策略时，应将心理社会因素视为一种应对机制。
