The Relationships between University Students’ Physical Activity Needs, Involvement, Flow Experience and Sustainable Well-Being in the Post-Pandemic Era

Chen Liao, Liying Nong, Yu-Feng Wu (), Yu-Tai Wu () and Jian-Hong Ye
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Chen Liao: College of Tourism and Sport Health, Hezhou University, Hezhou 542899, China
Liying Nong: School of Education and Music, Hezhou University, Hezhou 542899, China
Yu-Feng Wu: Office of Physical Education, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City 243303, Taiwan
Yu-Tai Wu: Office of Physical Education, Soochow University, Taipei City 111002, Taiwan
Jian-Hong Ye: Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: As the global sustainable development agenda advances, having a healthy lifestyle has become an important part of the common pursuit. Physical activity needs and experiences are becoming increasingly diverse, yet there is a paucity of research on issues associated with university students’ physical activity needs, and their perceptions of their physical activity needs and sustainable well-being are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study combines Self-Determination Theory with the existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) Theory of Needs to explore the mediating effects of different variables on the relationship between university students’ physical activity needs and sustainable well-being. A total of 900 Chinese university students were invited through an online survey to participate in this study, and the collected data were validated with a structural equation model. According to the results of the study, it was found that the level of involvement and flow experience in university students’ sports activities have a mediating effect on the relationship between needs and sustainable well-being. Therefore, educators can enhance the level of sustainable well-being by stimulating university students’ physical activity needs and improving their level of involvement and participation experience.

Keywords: Chinese university students; existence; relatedness and growth; sustainable goals; motivation; self-determination theory; exercise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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