Understanding Physical Activity and Exercise Behavior in China University Students: An Application of Theories of the Flow and Planned Behavior

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine a extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model by adding the variables of the flow theory and to investigate Chinese university students' exercise behavior and its influence factors. Methods. The hypothesized model was validated through testing three competing models using a sample collected from 248 Chinese university students involving 165 males and 83 females. Results. The three competitive models fitted well and predicted exercise behavior significantly. Among them, the enjoyment + TPB model is the optimal model. Conclusions. Enjoyment and concentration can all predicting exercise behavior directly or indirectly. Enjoyment is stronger than concentration in predicting TPB constructs and exercise behavior, and it is a more important predictor than concentration in the field of exercise behavior research. Values. Research provides insights to better understand the exercise behavior of Chinese university students as well as useful information for designing exercise interventions and developing university students' education and training.