Qingqing Yang

Background: With the acceleration of population aging and the increasingly prominent problem of insufficient physical activity among older adults, how to effectively promote physical activity participation among older adults has become an important issue in the field of public health. Neighborhood environment, as the primary setting for daily living among older adults, exerts considerable influence on their physical activity engagement; however, the underlying mechanisms remain inadequately understood. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, this study aimed to examine the impact of neighborhood environment on physical activity among older adults and to test the chain mediating effects of self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design to collect data on physical activity participation from 937 older adults residing in 12 communities across Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, through questionnaire surveys. Assessment instruments included the Neighborhood Environment Scale, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Self-Efficacy Scale, and Physical Activity Outcome Expectations Scale to comprehensively evaluate participants’ environmental perceptions, physical activity levels, and psychological cognitive characteristics. Following data collection, statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0, with structural equation modeling (AMOS) and Bootstrap methods employed to test potential mediating effects and ensure the reliability of results. Results: The analyses revealed significant positive correlations among neighborhood environment, physical activity, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. Specifically, neighborhood environment demonstrated a significant direct effect on physical activity among older adults, indicating that favorable neighborhood environments directly facilitate physical activity participation. Furthermore, self-efficacy and outcome expectations exhibited a chain mediating effect between neighborhood environment and physical activity, whereby neighborhood environment indirectly influenced physical activity levels through enhancing individual exercise self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Conclusion: This study elucidates the underlying mechanisms between neighborhood environment and physical activity among older adults, Neighborhood environment is not only directly associated with physical activity levels among older adults but also indirectly influences physical activity through two psychological cognitive mediators: self-efficacy and outcome expectations.

Background: With the continuous development of positive psychology, undergraduate students’ subjective well-being has increasingly become a focal point for researchers. Combat sports, as an effective means of promoting mental health, have significant potential for enhancing undergraduate students’ subjective well-being, yet the underlying mechanisms warrant in-depth investigation. This study aimed to explore the impact of combat sports on undergraduate students’ subjective well-being and examine the chain mediation effects of emotional intelligence and self-esteem.Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design to collect data from undergraduate students participating in combat sports across 10 universities in Sichuan Province, China, through questionnaire surveys. The research instruments included the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Subjective Well-being Scale, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Self-esteem Scale to comprehensively assess participants’ psychological and behavioral characteristics. Following data collection, statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0, with structural equation modeling (AMOS) and Bootstrap methods employed to examine potential mediation effects and ensure reliability of the findings.Results: The analysis revealed significant positive correlations among combat sports participation, subjective well-being, emotional intelligence, and self-esteem. Specifically, combat sports demonstrated a significant direct effect on undergraduate students’ subjective well-being, indicating that participation in combat sports directly enhances individuals’ well-being levels. Furthermore, emotional intelligence and self-esteem exhibited chain mediation effects between combat sports and subjective well-being, whereby combat sports indirectly influenced subjective well-being by enhancing individuals’ emotional intelligence and self-esteem.Conclusion: Combat sports not only directly predict undergraduate students’ subjective well-being but also indirectly influence subjective well-being through the psychological mediating variables of emotional intelligence and self-esteem. This study elucidates the underlying mechanisms linking combat sports participation and undergraduate students’ subjective well-being, providing empirical support and theoretical foundation for enhancing undergraduate students’ subjective well-being and maintaining their mental health through combat sports participation.

Background: With the intensification of the global aging trend, there is a contradiction between the extended lifespan and the decline of physiological functions among the older adult. It has become a global consensus to focus on and improve the quality of life for the older adult. Mind–body exercises (Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing) play a crucial role in promoting the quality of life for older adults, but the mechanisms and mediating effects are not yet clear.Objective: This study examines the impact of mind–body exercises (Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing) on the quality of life in older adults, with a particular focus on exploring the chain mediating effects of perceived social support and psychological resilience.Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study that surveyed 1,087 older adults participating in mind–body exercises (Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing) in 13 districts of Beijing, China, from March 25 to May 3, 2024. The Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were used to measure mind–body exercise, perceived social support, psychological resilience, and quality of life, respectively. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 26.0, and mediation effects were tested and effect analysis was conducted through structural equation modeling (AMOS) and the Bootstrap method.Results: The study results show that mind–body exercises (Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing) are significantly and positively correlated with the quality of life in older adults (r = 0.549, p < 0.01). The path coefficients for the relationships mind–body exercise → perceived social support (β = 0.46, p < 0.001) → psychological resilience (β = 0.20, p < 0.001) → quality of life in older adults (β = 0.39, p < 0.001) are significant, indicating that perceived social support and psychological resilience have a chain mediating effect between mind–body exercise and the quality of life in older adults.Conclusion: Mind–body exercises not only improve the quality of life for older adults but also indirectly enhance it by strengthening perceived social support and psychological resilience. This study provides significant reference for developing health intervention strategies targeted at older adults, suggesting that promoting mind–body exercises can improve their sense of perceived social support and psychological resilience, thereby increasing their quality of life.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical and mental health of older adults has been threatened. Promoting physical and mental health through physical activity has therefore become a strategy for healthy aging. In order to better understand the impact of the participation of older adults in physical activity, this paper selects different types of physical activity, and examines the relationship between them and subjective well-being through the analysis of the mediation effect of outdoor exercise environment and the regulating effect of exercise form. In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire survey was conducted in mainland China. The main data come from 903 older adults in five urban areas in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The surveys were carried out using the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Newfoundland Subjective Well-Being Scale, Exercise Environment Scale, and Exercise Form Scale. SPSS was used for statistical analysis, linear regression analysis was adopted for processing data, and AMOS was used to establish a mediation model. The mediating variable is the outdoor exercise environment, and the moderating variable is exercise form; gender, age, education level, and monthly income were used as control variables. The study results showed that different physical activities (tai chi; health qigong; walking and jogging) were significantly, positively correlated with the subjective well-being of older adults (tai chi: R = 0.351, p < 0.01; health qigong: R = 0.340, p < 0.01; walking and jogging: R = 0.245, p < 0.01); among the activities, tai chi had the strongest effect on the subjective well-being of older adults (R = 0.351, p < 0.01). Outdoor exercise environment played a mediating role between different physical activity types and subjective well-being of older adults [tai chi: β = 0.030, 95% CI (0.005, 0.031); health qigong: β = 0.018, 95% CI (0.000, 0.021); walking and jogging: β = 0.034, 95% CI (0.008, 0.035)]. Exercise form moderated the subjective well-being of older adults in different physical activities (tai chi: 0.006, p < 0.05; health qigong: 0.006, p < 0.05; walking and jogging: 0.009, p < 0.001). The results of this study demonstrate that the outdoor exercise environment plays a mediating role between different physical activities and the subjective well-being of older adults, and the form of exercise can also moderate the impact of different physical activities on the subjective well-being of older adults. This study has enlightening significance for psychological intervention with older adults facing stress, anxiety and depression.