Zhu Lixian, Xiong Xuan, Li Zhongquan, Meng Shuqiao, Zhai Yifei
Sports Science Institution, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Department of Physical Education, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Dec 2;24(1):3353. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20825-x.
Exercise habits significantly influence the mental health of university students. However, previous research has often neglected the endogeneity issues in this context, leading to biased estimates and limiting the ability to establish a clear causal relationship. This study aimed to address endogeneity issues and investigate the causal effect of exercise habits on the mental health of university students.
This cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1,120 university students from China. Data on demographic characteristics, exercise habits, and mental health were collected using both online and offline questionnaires. To evaluate the mental health benefits of exercise habits, we employed both the instrumental variable (IV) approach and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression.
The OLS estimates revealed a positive association between exercise habits and positive affect (β = 0.179, p < .001), life satisfaction (β = 0.134, p < .001), and self-actualization (β = 0.086, p < .001) among university students. The IV analysis indicated that exercise habits positively influenced positive affect (β = 0.263, p < .001), life satisfaction (β = 0.151, p = .006 < .01), and self-actualization (β = 0.102, p = .013 < .05). A comparison of the estimation results suggests that the OLS approach underestimates the mental health benefits of exercise habits.
This study provides preliminary causal evidence that exercise habits contribute to the promotion of mental health in university students. These findings offer valuable insights into potential preventive strategies for addressing mental health issues in this population through exercise interventions.
运动习惯对大学生的心理健康有显著影响。然而，以往的研究在这种情况下往往忽略了内生性问题，导致估计有偏差，并限制了建立明确因果关系的能力。本研究旨在解决内生性问题，并调查运动习惯对大学生心理健康的因果效应。
本横断面研究涉及1120名来自中国的大学生。使用在线和离线问卷收集了关于人口统计学特征、运动习惯和心理健康的数据。为了评估运动习惯对心理健康的益处，我们采用了工具变量（IV）法和普通最小二乘法（OLS）回归。
OLS估计显示，运动习惯与大学生的积极情绪（β = 0.179，p <.001）、生活满意度（β = 0.134，p <.001）和自我实现（β = 0.086，p <.001）之间存在正相关。IV分析表明，运动习惯对积极情绪（β = 0.263，p <.001）、生活满意度（β = 0.151，p =.006 <.01）和自我实现（β = 0.102，p =.013 <.05）有积极影响。估计结果的比较表明，OLS方法低估了运动习惯对心理健康的益处。
本研究提供了初步的因果证据，表明运动习惯有助于促进大学生的心理健康。这些发现为通过运动干预解决该人群心理健康问题的潜在预防策略提供了有价值的见解。
