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Association between exercise-related social media use and exercise self-efficacy: a PLS-SEM approach
Yueyang Mao1, Jiyuan Zhao1, Meng Xiang2
1College of Physical Education, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong, China.
Frontiers in Public Health
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Social media use influences college students' exercise habits indirectly. Positive effects on exercise self-efficacy are mediated by peer relationships and psychological resilience, not direct engagement.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Behavioral Science
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Social media significantly impacts college students' exercise behaviors.
- The pathways linking social media use to exercise self-efficacy are not fully understood.
- Existing research lacks clarity on how digital interactions foster internal psychological resources.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the structural and indirect associations between exercise-related social media use and exercise self-efficacy.
- To integrate social capital and psychological capital within the Social Cognitive Theory framework.
- To investigate the mediating roles of peer relationships and psychological resilience.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey design with 385 Chinese college students.
- Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for structural model evaluation.
- PLSpredict procedure for assessing out-of-sample predictive validity.
Main Results:
- Exercise-related social media use showed no significant direct association with exercise self-efficacy.
- A significant overall positive relationship was found (β = 0.196).
- This relationship was primarily mediated by indirect pathways, notably a sequential pathway from peer relationships to psychological resilience (β = 0.081).
Conclusions:
- Digital resources must be embedded in social relationships and internalized as psychological capital to influence behavioral beliefs.
- External digital interactions translate into internal psychological resources through sequential social and psychological factors.
- University health interventions should prioritize building supportive environments for peer connections and psychological resilience over mere information dissemination.
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