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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Volunteers
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Interest-Based Physical Training；; Behavioral: Regular Physical Training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 560
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing Municipality
    • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100191
      • Capital University of Physical Education and Sports

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Interest-Based Physical Training Group; Participants receive a 12-week physical training program designed based on individual interests, including team games, fitness challenges, and recreational sports, with sessions conducted 2-3 times per week.	Behavioral: Interest-Based Physical Training； A 12-week physical training program tailored to individual interests, including team games, fitness challenges, and recreational sports. Sessions are conducted1 times per week, each lasting 90 minutes.
Active Comparator: Regular Physical Training Group; Participants receive regular physical training sessions following the standard university curriculum, without individualized interest-based design.	Behavioral: Regular Physical Training; Standard physical training sessions following the regular university curriculum, without individualized interest-based design. Frequency and duration are matched to the experimental group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Exercise Adherence Questionnaire - Total Score	A 14-item self-report questionnaire measuring exercise adherence across three dimensions: Behavioral Habits (items 1-4, 4 items), Effort Investment (items 5-9, 5 items), and Emotional Experience (items 10-14, 5 items). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Total score ranges from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating better exercise adherence.	Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks (end of intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Vital Capacity	Maximum amount of air exhaled after maximal inhalation, measured in milliliters using a spirometer. Higher value indicates better respiratory function.	Baseline and 12 weeks
50-meter Sprint Time	Time in seconds to complete a 50-meter sprint. Lower time indicates better speed.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Cardiorespiratory Endurance (800m run for females, 1000m run for males)	Time in minutes to complete the distance (800m for females, 1000m for males). Lower time indicates better endurance.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Sit-and-Reach Test	Distance reached in centimeters while sitting and reaching forward. Higher distance indicates better flexibility.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Standing Long Jump	Distance jumped in centimeters from a standing start. Greater distance indicates better lower body explosive strength.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Pull-ups (males)	Number of pull-ups completed. Higher number indicates better upper body muscular endurance.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Sit-ups (females)	Number of sit-ups completed in one minute. Higher number indicates better abdominal muscular endurance.	Baseline and 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, China

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): February 3, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 3, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Exercise Adherence; Physical Fitness; Positive Affect; Physical Training
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025A055

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No