The relationship between exercise atmosphere and college students’ exercise behavior: the mediating role of subjective exercise experience and network analysis

Abstract Objective To explore the relationship between exercise atmosphere, subjective exercise experience and exercise behavior of college students, as well as gender differences, and to provide a theoretical basis for the intervention of physical education in colleges and universities. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,265 freshman and sophomore students from 7 universities in Jiangxi Province using a questionnaire survey. Data were collected using the Exercise Atmosphere Scale, the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale and the Exercise Behavior Scale. Correlation analysis, mediation analysis and network analysis were conducted respectively through SPSS and R software to explore the dynamic interaction relationship among variables. The results show that: (1) Each dimension of the physical exercise atmosphere is significantly positively correlated with the exercise behavior of college students. Among them, the persistence of exercise is most strongly associated with nature (r = 0.49) and positive experience (r = 0.63). (2) Subjective exercise experience plays a significant mediating role between exercise atmosphere and exercise behavior (the mediating effect accounts for 48.84%), and the direct effect (51.16%) and the mediating effect together constitute the total effect (0.43). (3) Psychological network analysis shows that “exercise persistence” (EI = 0.84) and “interpersonal connection” (EI = 0.80) are the statistically central nodes within the associative network, and the interaction among variables presents group specificity. And there are significant gender differences: For boys, the core of the Internet is “natural connection” and “exercise persistence”, while for girls, it relies more on “interpersonal connection” and “information acquisition”. Conclusion The atmosphere of physical exercise is linked to the exercise behavior of college students through the dual statistical pathways of “environment - psychology - behavior”, with subjective experience serving as a key mediating variable in this associative model. Colleges and universities need to focus on building a supportive environment and designing gender-differentiated strategies. Male students should focus on optimizing the physical environment, while female students should strengthen information guidance to enhance their participation in exercise and the formation of a healthy lifestyle.