From screen to sweat: how platform features translate into exercise behavior via perceived value in online fitness...

Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework and perceived value theory, this study examined how three online fitness live streaming (OFLS) platform features-content quality, visual and audio effects, and interactivity-relate to exercise behavior among university students. Using a cross-sectional online survey, data were collected from 386 Chinese university students (49.5% male) with prior OFLS experience. Validated measures were translated into Chinese via a forward-backward procedure and assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. Analyses included confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical regression, and path analysis with bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples). Results indicated that all three platform features were positively associated with perceived value (β = 0.346, 0.451, and 0.328, respectively; all ps < 0.001) and with exercise behavior (β = 0.306, 0.168, and 0.256, respectively; all ps < 0.001). Perceived value was positively associated with exercise behavior (β = 0.299, p < 0.001) and partially mediated each feature-behavior relationship. The specific indirect effects were: content quality (β = 0.104, 95% CI [0.058, 0.156]), visual and audio effects (β = 0.135, 95% CI [0.072, 0.195]), and interactivity (β = 0.098, 95% CI [0.047, 0.148]). The full model explained 60.8% of the variance in exercise behavior. These findings suggest that OFLS platform features are linked to exercise behavior through coexisting direct and value-mediated pathways. Content quality and interactivity showed comparatively stronger direct effects, whereas visual and audio effects exhibited the strongest indirect effect via perceived value. Implications for digital health platform design and university wellness programs are discussed.