Effect of Interest-Based Physical Training on Exercise Adherence

Effect of Interest-Based Physical Training on Exercise Adherence and Physical Fitness in College Students: The Mediating Role of Positive Affective Experience

This study aims to examine whether a physical training program designed based on individual interests can improve exercise adherence and physical fitness among college students, and to explore whether positive affective experience plays a mediating role in this process.

College student participants will be randomly assigned to either an interest-based physical training group or a control group (conventional physical education or no intervention). The interest-based training program includes personalized exercise activities such as team games, fitness challenges, and recreational sports, designed to enhance intrinsic motivation. The intervention will last for 12 weeks.

Primary outcome measures include exercise adherence (e.g., attendance rate, dropout rate) and physical fitness (e.g., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, flexibility). Secondary outcome measure is positive affective experience assessed by standardized questionnaires. Mediation analysis will be conducted to test whether the effect of interest-based training on adherence and fitness is mediated by positive affective experience.

The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Academic Committee, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports (Approval Number:2025A055). All participants will provide informed consent before enrollment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Full-time college students aged 18-30 years

  • Willing to participate and provide written informed consent
  • Able to attend the scheduled physical training sessions (once per week, 90 minutes each)
  • Physically capable of performing moderate-intensity physical training

Exclusion Criteria:

• - History of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or respiratory diseases (e.g., heart disease, asthma, hypertension)
• Musculoskeletal injuries or conditions that contraindicate exercise (e.g., fractures, severe arthritis, disc herniation)
• Current participation in another structured exercise or physical training program
• Use of medications that may affect heart rate or exercise tolerance (e.g., beta-blockers)
• Pregnancy or lactation
• Mental disorders or cognitive impairment that prevent understanding of the study procedures