Peer support and adolescents' physical activity: The mediating roles of self-efficacy and enjoyment

Abstract

Objective The present study aimed to contrast the mediating magnitude of self-efficacy and enjoyment connecting peer support and adolescents' physical activity (PA). Methods Participants were 9th-12th grade students (N=409; 56.5% boys) who were randomly chosen from six public schools located in Fuzhou city in southeast China. The bootstrapping method in structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the direct and indirect effects of peer support on adolescents' PA. Results Peer support did not directly impact PA. Rather, peer support indirectly influenced PA through either self-efficacy or enjoyment, with self-efficacy demonstrating a stronger mediating effect. Additionally, we found a significant serial mediating effect with enjoyment, and self-efficacy sequentially mediated the relationship between peer support and PA. Conclusion The findings highlight the role of self-efficacy and enjoyment as mediators connecting peer support and PA. Selfefficacy seems to be more important, as it demonstrated a significantly greater mediating effect.