Physical activity (PA) refers to any action produced by skeletal muscle that consumes energy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), PA is the primary element that can improve health at the community level. Obviously, PA plays an important role in the social, physical, and mental development of men and women, as well as in balancing weight. However, the large-scale negative impacts of physical inactivity on health-related issues are also recognized globally, such as obesity, which is the source of many non-communication diseases (NCDs). In Pakistan alone, 46% of deaths occur due to NCD. The majority of NCD deaths are linked to obesity, and Pakistan is the ninth most obese country in the world. Research on obesity caused by sedentary work in Pakistan is lacking, especially among university employees. To fill this gap, the current study mainly focuses on the rising non-communicable disease (NCD) rates among university employees in Pakistan due to a lack of exercise (obesity, in this case), with the help of a self-designed knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire. Five universities in the Sindh province of Pakistan were surveyed (n = 276), following the concept of Yin–Yang as a theoretical lens. The results of the current study show that the knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes of university employees have a great influence on their body mass index (BMI). The study shows that Pakistani residents’ (especially teaching staff) perceptions and attitudes towards obesity and PA have been instructive, but their practices need to be improved.

In sports literature, women’s participation in physical activities has always been characterized as “problematic.” Muslim women’s participation is often considered to be limited by their culture and religion, which also affects their attitude toward physical activities. The purpose of this study is to explore the participation and perceived constraints of Pakistani female students in physical activities, using a feminism-in-sports approach. Semi-structured and informant-style interviews with female students from Larkana, Pakistan, were conducted. The results show that participants either do not practice or participate very little, due to the limitations of socioeconomic factors, religious values, and culture. By exploring the diverse ways in which 20 female students talk about their participation in sports activities, we provide different narratives for sports decision-makers (at the school and government level), parents, and community practitioners (political and religious) to consider and draw upon in their curriculum and policy design, as well as daily practices, to support women’s participation in sport activities.

Based on the existing literature, it is clear that the Summer Olympic Games since 1896 have been carefully evaluated, with detailed statistical records compiled accordingly. However, documentation and historical analysis of the Summer Olympic Games is lacking for some nations. In particular, a number of post-colonial and non-Western countries have a relatively low Olympic profile. This is the case with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which has a distinctive position in regard to its geography and its system of religious and cultural values. Although it is well-known that Pakistan began to participate in the Summer Olympic Games in 1948, the year after its independence was gained, few attempts have been made to explain why it has won a limited number of medals. In an effort to address this gap in existing knowledge, this paper adopts the perspective of social development theory, with the aim of describing and analyzing the historical background of Pakistan’s participation in international sporting events, mainly focusing on the Summer Olympic Games. The paper will therefore expand understanding of a series of problems faced by this Islamic country against the background of its elite sports development.

Objectives: Influenced by traditional Chinese cultural values, Chinese women persistently face deeply rooted ideologies of gender inequality. Socioeconomic and demographic factors, along with social capital and engagement in sports activities, play a significant role in shaping this ideological framework. This study seeks to investigate the association between sports participation and women’s gender inequality ideology. Methods: Data were collected from the 2023 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). To explore the effect of sports participation on women’s gender inequality ideology, a multiple ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model was utilized. In addition, propensity score matching (PSM) was implemented to perform robustness checks, and an instrumental variables two-stage least squares (IV-2SLS) regression approach was also used to correct for possible bias in the analysis. Results: (1) The ideology underpinning gender inequality against women was more prominently manifested in the central and western regions. (2) Among individuals aged 15–44 years, those residing in non-agricultural households in eastern urban areas, with higher educational attainment, occupying social hierarchy levels 2–10, and exhibiting elevated socioeconomic status demonstrated a greater propensity to participate in women’s sports activities. (3) Compared to women who did not engage in sports activities, those who participated in sports exhibited a reduction of 4.069 in their endorsement of gender inequality ideology. This finding further substantiates the positive impact of sports participation on diminishing gender inequality beliefs among women. (4) After conducting endogenous and robustness analyses, the findings indicated a substantial level of robustness, and regular engagement in sports was shown to significantly reduce the average level of gender inequality ideology by 13.25, a magnitude notably greater than the estimates obtained from the OLS model. Conclusion: This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the changes in women’s perspectives on gender inequality, highlighting the pivotal role of sports participation in advancing gender equality among women in China. Future research efforts could enhance the understanding of the causal relationships between these variables by employing longitudinal tracking methodologies. It is advisable that forthcoming public policy initiatives prioritize the ongoing optimization of educational resources and the equitable allocation of fitness resources between urban and rural regions.

Screen-based digital media use is widespread in childhood and adolescence, but its association with anxiety and dose–response relationship remain uncertain. We systematically reviewed observational studies of participants aged 6–19 years reporting time- or frequency-based screen exposure and anxiety-specific outcomes. PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and CNKI were searched through September 2026. Study quality was assessed using the AHRQ checklist or Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Eligible estimates were synthesized using three-level random-effects meta-analysis and restricted cubic splines. Fifty-seven reports were retained. The primary adjusted dataset included 79 odds-ratio effects from 17 independent studies (pooled OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.26–1.54; I² = 51.7%). Screen type significantly moderated the association after Holm correction. The dose–response analysis included seven independent studies; the linear component was significant (p = 0.039), whereas nonlinearity was not supported (p = 0.132; wild-cluster p = 0.163). Evidence was predominantly observational and cross-sectional, and dose–response data were limited. Greater screen exposure was associated with higher odds of anxiety, supporting a graded pattern without a discrete threshold. Because the evidence was predominantly observational and cross-sectional, this exposure–response gradient should be interpreted as an association rather than evidence that greater screen use causes anxiety; reverse and reciprocal pathways remain possible. This review was not registered and was funded by two Jiangsu Provincial Education Science Planning projects.

Gameful digital mental health interventions are increasingly used to support university students, but evidence for the effectiveness of complete intervention packages should be distinguished from evidence that specific game mechanics independently improve mental health outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the short-term package effectiveness of gameful digital mental health interventions for depression, anxiety, and stress/distress among university students, while separately examining active-comparator, component-level, and mechanism-oriented evidence to distinguish package effects from the incremental effects of gameful features and other intervention processes. We searched PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, CINAHL, CNKI, Embase, and APA PsycINFO (EBSCOhost) from database inception through 3 September 2026. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and full texts, with disagreements adjudicated by a third reviewer. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2, and outcome certainty was evaluated with GRADE. Randomized package-effect trials were synthesized using outcome-specific random-effects models, and an integrative three-level model retained multiple symptom effects within studies. Dependence was examined using study-cluster robust inference and sensitivity analyses across plausible within-study sampling correlations. Component- and mechanism-oriented studies were synthesized separately from package-effect trials. Database searches identified 4267 records. Twenty-three reports were retained through the database pathway, and backward citation chasing identified 1 additional report, yielding 24 retained reports overall; 3 reports were not retrieved. Compared with inactive controls, gameful interventions showed moderate short-term effects for depression (4 studies; Hedges’ g = 0.52, 95% CI 0.32–0.72) and anxiety (3 studies; g = 0.51, 95% CI 0.22–0.80), whereas stress/distress was highly imprecise (2 studies; g = 0.19, 95% CI −1.68 to 2.06). The integrative synthesis included nine symptom effects from five independent studies and yielded g = 0.410 (95% CI 0.245–0.575; study-cluster robust 95% CI 0.182–0.638), with a 95% prediction interval of −0.013 to 0.834, which includes no benefit and a small harmful effect in a future setting. Active-control effects were smaller in the full moderator model but were not leave-one-study-out stable. Expanded component and mechanism-oriented evidence did not show a consistent independent symptom benefit attributable to gameful features, although some studies reported differences in engagement, adherence, enjoyment, or related intervention processes. Gameful digital mental health intervention packages may reduce short-term depression and anxiety symptoms among university students, but certainty is low for depression and anxiety and very low for stress/distress; only five independent studies informed the integrative model. Generalizability across interventions and settings remains uncertain. Evidence against active comparators is sparse and unstable. Component and mechanism-oriented evidence indicates that gameful or contextual design choices may influence engagement, adherence, enjoyment, or training processes, but does not support a consistent independent symptom benefit from adding game mechanics. Future research should use meaningful active comparators and factorial or dismantling designs to identify which gameful features support therapeutic mechanisms, engagement, or potentially interfere with treatment processes.