ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1597480
This article is part of the Research TopicPhysical Activity in Urban Areas: Where and When?View all articles
University-Based Physical Education as a Structured Temporal and Spatial Opportunity for Shaping Health-Oriented Lifestyles
Provisionally accepted
Lu Zhang1
Kui Dong2*- 1School of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
- 2Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Regular physical activity is widely recognized for its health benefits, including improved cardiovascular function and reduced risk of chronic diseases. However, insufficient physical activity remains prevalent among university students, many of whom fail to meet recommended guidelines. University-based physical education (PE) programs play a critical role in fostering active lifestyles and promoting health-oriented behaviours among young adults. This study aimed to examine the association between participation in PE classes and the adoption of healthoriented behaviors among Chinese college students, particularly in the third and fourth years, when participation in PE is voluntary.A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,902 third-and fourth-year university students (mean age: 20.94 years; 59.2% female). The survey collected data on demographic (age and gender), socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), and some health-related behaviours such as dietary habits, smoking status, physical activity levels, and frequency of PE class attendance.Results: Results showed 44.23% of students were physically inactive, 8.1% were smokers, and 61.18% had an unhealthy diet. Male students had higher rates of smoking, obesity, and unhealthy diets compared to females. Participation in PE classes was associated with lower risks of obesity, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that PE attendance was a protective factor against these unhealthy behaviors, with significant gender-based differences observed in lifestyle patterns.This study highlights the importance of PE in promoting healthier lifestyles among university students and underscores the need for continued access to structured PE programs throughout the undergraduate years.
Keywords: Public health1, healthy lifestyle2, physical activity3, Obesity4, healthy diet5
Received: 21 Mar 2025; Accepted: 25 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang and Dong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kui Dong, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.