Background: Physical inactivity is a significant public health issue among female college students. This study aimed to explore the complex relationship between self-rated health (SRH), social anxiety (SA), and physical activity (PA) in a sample of female Chinese university students, employing both variable-centered and person-centered approaches.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 1,452 female Chinese university students who completed the Self-Perceived Health Scale (to measure SRH), the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale–6 and the Social Phobia Scale–6 (to measure SA), and a validated single-item measure of PA (to measure PA). First, a mediation model was used to test the indirect effect of SRH on PA through SA. Second, Latent Profile Analysis was conducted to identify distinct subgroups based on individuals’ SRH and SA levels. Finally, ANOVA was used to examine PA differences across the identified profiles.Results: The mediation analysis revealed that SA partially mediated the relationship between SRH and PA, accounting for 12% of the total effect (CI [0.011, 0.090]). The Latent Profile Analysis identified three distinct profiles: “Healthy-Resilient” (21.62%), characterized by high SRH and low SA; “Moderate-Adapting” (70.39%), with average SRH and SA; and “Unhealthy-Anxious” (7.99%), with low SRH and high SA. The “Unhealthy-Anxious” group reported significantly lower levels of PA than the other two groups.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that SA is a significant psychological mechanism linking SRH to PA among female Chinese university students. From a public health perspective, these findings highlight the importance of addressing mental health factors, such as SA, in interventions designed to promote PA in this population. The identification of distinct subgroups underscores the need for tailored interventions over one-size-fits-all approaches.

This study aims to explore the relationship and underlying mechanisms between social appearance anxiety (SAA) and restrained eating (RE) among female college students. Although previous studies have shown a correlation between SAA and RE, the internal pathways remain unclear. Based on social comparison theory and objectification theory, this study constructs a model that includes self-objectification (SO) as a mediating variable and physical exercise (PE) as a moderating variable to analyze the impact mechanisms of SAA on RE. Adopting a cross-sectional online survey design, this study collected data from 2161 female college students in China. The results showed that SAA was significantly positively related to SO (β = 0.37, p < 0.001) and RE (β = 0.34, p < 0.001). SO partially mediated the relationship between SAA and RE (β = 0.125, 95% CI [0.104, 0.149]). Moreover, PE moderates the relationship between SAA and RE (β = −0.15, p < 0.001). However, PE’s moderating effect is insignificant in the relationship between SO and RE. These findings offer valuable insights and suggest that interventions targeting SAA and SO, as well as promoting PE, may help improve RE among female college students.

Background: With the increase in the global aging population, the mental health of older adults has become increasingly prominent. This study aims to explore the relationship between the interaction of physical activity and sleep quality in older adults and depression and anxiety. Methods: A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was employed to survey various communities within Nanchang City, collecting data from 2,497 older adults. The assessment tools included the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Results: Among 2,497 participants, 582 (23.30%) had depressive tendencies; 1,122 (44.90%) had anxiety tendencies. The detection rate of depression and anxiety was higher in females than in males. Logistic regression analysis results showed that low physical activity was positively correlated with depression and anxiety (OR = 9.46; 3.66), while poor sleep quality was positively associated with depression and anxiety (OR = 2.40; 9.96) ( P < 0.05). There is an interactive effect between physical activity and sleep quality in relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms in older adults. Specifically, compared to low physical activity combined with poor sleep quality, the combination of high physical activity and good sleep quality is associated with reduced levels of both anxiety and depression ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: This investigation underscores the dynamic interplay among physical activity, sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and anxiety in older adults, forming a critical foundation for designing tailored interventions to enhance mental health outcomes in this population.

Background: Appearance anxiety and weight self-stigma have become increasingly prominent issues among female university students. However, existing studies have primarily concentrated on direct associations at the variable level, with limited exploration of heterogeneous subgroups from a person-centered perspective. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of body image in the relationship between weight self-stigma and appearance anxiety and to identify potential latent categories of weight self-stigma and body image, thereby providing scientific guidance for the prevention and improvement of appearance anxiety in female university students. Methods: From November 2024 to March 2025, a purposive sampling strategy was employed. A total of 1,368 female university students were recruited from 12 comprehensive universities located in six provinces of central and southern China (Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu). Participants completed the appearance anxiety scale, the weight self-stigma questionnaire, and the body image scale. Results: (1) Weight self-stigma positively predicted appearance anxiety among female university students, with body image playing a partial mediating role ( β = 0.250, p &lt; 0.001); (2) Three latent patterns of weight self-stigma and body image were identified: low stigma—high body image (23.4%), moderate stigma-moderate body image (27.7%), and high stigma—low body image (48.9%); (3) Compared with the “low stigma—high body image” group, the other two categories significantly and positively predicted appearance anxiety ( p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: Weight self-stigma and body image among female university students demonstrate notable heterogeneity, and body image serves as a mediator in the relationship between weight self-stigma and appearance anxiety.

Background: Anxiety is significantly correlated with levels of physical activity in university students. This research assessed the effects of anxiety on engagement in physical activity and explored the potential mediating function of psychological resilience. Additionally, latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to identify distinct subtypes based on anxiety and resilience levels, and to explore their associations with physical activity. Methods: Utilizing a non-probability convenience sampling approach, this cross-sectional study recruited a total of 1,436 collegiate participants from multiple universities. Data collection was carried out with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the abbreviated Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3). Data analysis included mediation effect analysis via Bootstrap methods (Model 4) and latent profile analysis (LPA). Results: Anxiety demonstrated a significant negative association with physical activity ( β = −0.307, p < 0.001) and was identified as a substantial negative predictor of psychological resilience ( β = −0.413, p < 0.001). A significant positive association was observed between psychological resilience and physical activity ( β = 0.178, p < 0.001). The analysis confirmed the role of psychological resilience as a significant mediating variable in the pathway linking anxiety to physical activity, accounting for 24% of the total effect. Furthermore, latent profile analysis identified three distinct typologies: High Anxiety-Low Psychological Resilience (HA-LPR; 10.38%), Moderate Anxiety-Moderate Psychological Resilience (MA-MPR; 62.74%), and Low Anxiety-High Psychological Resilience (LA-HPR; 26.88%). These latent classes demonstrated statistically significant differences in physical activity levels ( F = 209.655, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Results demonstrated that anxiety affects physical activity both directly and indirectly, with the latter effect occurring through the channel of psychological resilience. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles among college students based on anxiety and psychological resilience: High Anxiety-Low Psychological Resilience, Moderate Anxiety-Moderate Psychological Resilience, and Low Anxiety-High Psychological Resilience. Marked variations in physical activity levels were observed among these subgroups. The results underscore the complex relationships among mental health indicators and health behaviors within the collegiate population. The delineation of distinct profiles offers practical implications for designing tailored intervention strategies.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents is an important public health concern. This study examined the associations among physical activity (PA), psychological resilience (PR), and NSSI among 2257 junior high school students aged 12–17 years in central China. Using both variable-centered and person-centered approaches, the study found that higher PA and higher PR were related to lower NSSI. PR also partly accounted for the association between PA and NSSI, suggesting that resilience may be one pathway linking physical activity to reduced self-injury risk. Latent profile analysis identified three PA–PR profiles: low, moderate, and high. Adolescents in the low PA–PR profile reported the highest NSSI risk, whereas those in the high PA–PR profile reported the lowest risk. These findings suggest that interventions promoting PA and resilience may help reduce adolescent NSSI risk.