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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07635927

Effect of Interest-Based Physical Training on Exercise Adherence

This study aims to examine whether a physical training program designed based on individual interests can improve exercise adherence and physical fitness among college students, and to explore whether positive affective experience plays a mediating role in this process.

College student participants will be randomly assigned to either an interest-based physical training group or a control group (conventional physical education or no intervention). The interest-based training program includes personalized exercise activities such as team games, fitness challenges, and recreational sports, designed to enhance intrinsic motivation. The intervention will last for 12 weeks.

Primary outcome measures include exercise adherence (e.g., attendance rate, dropout rate) and physical fitness (e.g., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, flexibility). Secondary outcome measure is positive affective experience assessed by standardized questionnaires. Mediation analysis will be conducted to test whether the effect of interest-based training on adherence and fitness is mediated by positive affective experience.

The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Academic Committee, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports (Approval Number:2025A055). All participants will provide informed consent before enrollment.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Volunteers

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Capital University of Physical Education and Sports

Beijing, Beijing Municipality, 100191, China

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Full-time college students aged 18-30 years
  • Willing to participate and provide written informed consent
  • Able to attend the scheduled physical training sessions (once per week, 90 minutes each)
  • Physically capable of performing moderate-intensity physical training

Exclusion criteria

  • - History of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or respiratory diseases (e.g., heart disease, asthma, hypertension)
  • Musculoskeletal injuries or conditions that contraindicate exercise (e.g., fractures, severe arthritis, disc herniation)
  • Current participation in another structured exercise or physical training program
  • Use of medications that may affect heart rate or exercise tolerance (e.g., beta-blockers)
  • Pregnancy or lactation
  • Mental disorders or cognitive impairment that prevent understanding of the study procedures

Treatment and study plan

Interest-Based Physical Training；

Behavioral

A 12-week physical training program tailored to individual interests, including team games, fitness challenges, and recreational sports. Sessions are conducted1 times per week, each lasting 90 minutes.

Regular Physical Training

Behavioral

Standard physical training sessions following the regular university curriculum, without individualized interest-based design. Frequency and duration are matched to the experimental group.

Primary outcomes

  1. Exercise Adherence Questionnaire - Total Score

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks (end of intervention)

    A 14-item self-report questionnaire measuring exercise adherence across three dimensions: Behavioral Habits (items 1-4, 4 items), Effort Investment (items 5-9, 5 items), and Emotional Experience (items 10-14, 5 items). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Total score ranges from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating better exercise adherence.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Vital Capacity

    Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks

    Maximum amount of air exhaled after maximal inhalation, measured in milliliters using a spirometer. Higher value indicates better respiratory function.

  2. 50-meter Sprint Time

    Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks

    Time in seconds to complete a 50-meter sprint. Lower time indicates better speed.

  3. Cardiorespiratory Endurance (800m run for females, 1000m run for males)

    Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks

    Time in minutes to complete the distance (800m for females, 1000m for males). Lower time indicates better endurance.

  4. Sit-and-Reach Test

    Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks

    Distance reached in centimeters while sitting and reaching forward. Higher distance indicates better flexibility.

  5. Standing Long Jump

    Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks

    Distance jumped in centimeters from a standing start. Greater distance indicates better lower body explosive strength.

  6. Pull-ups (males)

    Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks

    Number of pull-ups completed. Higher number indicates better upper body muscular endurance.

  7. Sit-ups (females)

    Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks

    Number of sit-ups completed in one minute. Higher number indicates better abdominal muscular endurance.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, China

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Interest-Based Physical Training on Exercise Adherence and Physical Fitness in College Students: The Mediating Role of Positive Affective Experience

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 9, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 9, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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