Abstract
BACKGROUND: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has highlighted that quality physical education (QPE) can lead to a more active lifestyle for adolescents. However, previous studies have not explored the relationship between students' perceptions of QPE and physical activity (PA). According to Bandura's social cognitive theory, self-efficacy plays a crucial role in influencing behaviour, including PA engagement. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between students' QPE perception and 7-day PA among Chinese secondary school students, with a focus on analysing the potential mediating role of exercise self-efficacy (ESE) between these two factors. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional design. Adolescents (N = 2,349) from 10 secondary schools in China participated in this study through providing self-reports. The dependent variables included students' perceptions of QPE measured across 10 dimensions. ESE was considered as the mediator, reflecting psychological functioning. 7-day PA served as the outcome variable. All multiple regression models were adjusted for covariates including sex, age, ethnic background, and school location. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed across sex, ethnicity, and school location in the ten dimensions of QPE perception, ESE, and 7-day PA. All 10 QPE dimensions were positively associated with PA (r = 0.285 to 0.476, p < 0.001), with the strongest associations observed for family and community sports resources. Mediation analyses showed that ESE mediated the association between each QPE dimension and PA: the standardized indirect effects ranged from β = 0.095 to 0.158 and exceeded the corresponding direct effects in every model; the proportion mediated ranged from 52.20% to 80.12%. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers and policymakers should design activities that cater to female students' interests and needs, enhance their self-efficacy, and encourage their active participation in PA. Ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities for physical education and PA is also crucial. Interventions promoting PA should adopt a collaborative approach that integrates the efforts of families, schools, and communities. Moreover, rather than focusing solely on increasing PA, interventions should prioritise strengthening ESE for long-term success. Future studies should focus on longitudinal designs and expand the sample size to enhance the generalisability of the findings.