The relationship between the motivation for physical activity and the level of physical activity among medical college students: based on the mediating effect of exercise self-efficacy and the moderating effect of kinesiophobia level

Background: In modern society, health issues have gained increasing attention. Physical activity, a key factor in health maintenance, is vital for college students. As future healthcare professionals, medical students' health impacts both their academic development and future professional performance. Therefore, studying their physical activity patterns is crucial for enhancing their health. Methods: A stratified random sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among medical college students in three universities in Jiangsu Province. The questionnaire included sociodemographic information, the revised version of the Motives for Physical Activities Measure (MPAM-R), the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (SEE), the Kinesiophobia Causation Scale (KCS), and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results: < 0.01). Exercise self-efficacy played a partial mediating role between physical activity motivation and physical activity level, and the mediating effect accounted for 10.732% of the total effect. The kinesiophobia level could moderate the direct path of the mediation model. Conclusion: The motivation for physical activity has a significant positive predictive effect on the level of physical activity. Exercise self-efficacy plays a partial mediating role in this relationship, and this mediation is moderated by the kinesiophobia level. Therefore, improving exercise self-efficacy and reducing the kinesiophobia level are effective ways to enhance the physical activity level of college students. It is recommended to attach great importance to this and take corresponding intervention measures.