Objective: Framed by healthy school construction and health-promoting universities, this exploratory mixed-methods study examined the real-world pattern of university students’ physical activity and clarified how a supportive school environment may shape behavior. Methods: The study was conducted in a comprehensive university setting where general education, professional education, residence life, and campus sport services are closely connected. The qualitative strand drew on 27 semi-structured interview cases selected to reflect variation in gender, grade, major, and physical activity participation. The quantitative strand analyzed 268 questionnaires covering supportive school environment, physical activity-related health literacy, exercise motivation, and physical activity behavior. Descriptive statistics, preliminary instrument-quality checks, and joint qualitative-quantitative displays were used for integration. Results: Students broadly endorsed the health value of physical activity, yet actual participation remained limited. Facility accessibility was the weakest environmental dimension (2.51±0.46), while no time (44.0%), inconvenient facilities (18.7%), and fatigue (11.9%) were the most frequently reported barriers. Interviews identified four profiles: knowing-doing gaps, peer-driven, high-motivation/sports-specialty, and passive compliance. Integrated findings suggest that school health climate and curriculum support mainly activate value recognition; facility accessibility creates or restricts opportunities for action; and peer climate and teacher support catalyze initiation through relational encouragement and affective activation. Conclusion: The findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating rather than causal. Universities should move from course-centered and advocacy-centered management toward everyday-life-centered physical activity support that is accessible, socially supported, and feedback-rich.
References
[1] Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., Willumsen, J. F. (2020) World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451-1462.
[2] Maselli, M., Ward, P. B., Gobbi, E., Carraro, A. (2018) Promoting physical activity among university students: a systematic review of controlled trials. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32(7), 1602-1612.
[3] Brown, C. E., Richardson, K., Halil-Pizzirani, B., Atkins, L., Yücel, M., Segrave, R. A. (2024) Key influences on university students’ physical activity: a systematic review using the theoretical domains framework and the COM-B model of human behaviour. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 418.
[4] Constantino, S. M., Schlüter, M., Weber, E. U., Wijermans, N. (2021) Cognition and behavior in context: a framework and theories to explain natural resource use decisions in social-ecological systems. Sustainability Science, 16(5), 1651-1671.
[5] Squires, V., London, C. (2021) The Okanagan Charter: Evolution of health promotion in Canadian higher education. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 51(3), 100-114.
[6] Murphy, J., MacDonncha, C., Murphy, M. H., Murphy, N., Woods, C. B. (2024) How does the university environment relate to student’s physical activity patterns in Ireland. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 21(8), 829-836.
[7] Buja, A., Rabensteiner, A., Sperotto, M., Grotto, G., Bertoncello, C., Cocchio, S., Baldo, V. (2020) Health literacy and physical activity: a systematic review. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 17(12), 1259-1274.
[8] Wang, X., Yang, X., Juzaily bin Mohd Nasiruddin, N., Wei, S., Dong, D., bin Samsudin, S. (2024) Social support and physical activity in college and university students: a meta-analysis. Health Education & Behavior, 51(4), 533-543.
[9] Xu, Z., Shamsulariffin, S., Azhar, Y., Xi, M. (2025) Does self‐determination theory associate with physical activity? A systematic review of systematic review. International Journal of Psychology, 60(3), e70044.
[10] Sheeran, P., Wright, C. E., Avishai, A., Villegas, M. E., Lindemans, J. W., Klein, W. M., Ntoumanis, N. (2020) Self-determination theory interventions for health behavior change: meta-analysis and meta-analytic structural equation modeling of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(8), 726.
[11] Ntoumanis, N., Ng, J. Y., Prestwich, A., Quested, E., Hancox, J. E., Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., Williams, G. C. (2021) A meta-analysis of self-determination theory-informed intervention studies in the health domain: effects on motivation, health behavior, physical, and psychological health. Health Psychology Review, 15(2), 214-244.
[12] Ginter, P. M., Kennedy, R., Erwin, P. C., Reed, W. (2024) The Okanagan Charter to improve wellbeing in higher education: Shifting the paradigm. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1443937.
[13] Zhou, N., Mu, F., Zhang, Y., Zang, D., Zhu, W., Wang, X., Li, B. (2025) How electronic health literacy influences physical activity behaviour among university students: a moderated mediation model. PLOS One, 20(8), e0330637.
[14] Kljajević, V., Stanković, M., Đorđević, D., Trkulja-Petković, D., Jovanović, R., Plazibat, K., Sporiš, G. (2021) Physical activity and physical fitness among university students – a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 158.
[15] Yuan, F., Peng, S., Khairani, A. Z., Liang, J. (2024) A systematic review and Meta-analysis of the efficacy of physical activity interventions among university students. Sustainability, 16(4), 1369.
[16] Roberts, C. J., Ryan, D. J., Campbell, J., Hardwicke, J. (2024) Self-reported physical activity and sedentary behaviour amongst UK university students: a cross-sectional case study. Critical Public Health, 34(1), 1-17.
[17] Porter, C. D., Groves, C. I., Huong, C., Brown, D. M. (2024) Predicting physical activity behavior among university students using the multi-process action control framework. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 75, 102716.
[18] Liu, Y., Zhai, X., Zhang, Y., Jiang, C., Zeng, J., Yang, M., Xiang, B. (2023) The promoting effect of exercise motivation on physical fitness in college students: a mediation effect model. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 2244.
[19] Zhao, Y. S., Ma, Q. S., Li, X. Y., Guo, K. L., Chao, L. (2023) The relationship between exercise motivation and exercise behavior in college students: the chain-mediated role of exercise climate and exercise self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1130654.
[20] Liu, H. X., Chow, B. C., Hassel, H., Huang, Y. W., Liang, W., Wang, R. B. (2024) Prospective association of eHealth literacy and health literacy with physical activity among Chinese college students: a multiple mediation analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1275691.
[21] Jiang, S., Ng, J. Y., Choi, S. M., Ha, A. S. (2024) Relationships among eHealth literacy, physical literacy, and physical activity in Chinese university students: cross-sectional study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e56386.
[22] Li, J., Wang, L., Pan, L., Hu, Z., Yin, R., Liu, J. F. (2024) Exercise motivation, physical exercise, and mental health among college students: Examining the predictive power of five different types of exercise motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1356999.
Share and Cite
Xie, Z., Tang, J. (2026) University Students’ Physical Activity in the Context of Healthy School Construction: An Exploratory Mixed-methods Study of the Supportive School Environment. Global Education Bulletin, 3(1), 79-91. https://doi.org/10.71052/grb2025/LTCO9717