Providing Sports Venues on Mainland China: Implications for Promoting Leisure-Time Physical Activity and National Fitness Policies

Sentiment mining of online comments of sports venues: Consumer satisfaction and its influencing factors

In the context of consumer economics, it is imperative to consider the functionality of sports venues based on customer demand. However, traditional survey methods are time-consuming, resource-intensive, and coverage-limited. This paper conducted sentiment mining based on Internet big data, deep learning, topic analysis, and social network analysis to capture the satisfaction of consumers and its influencing factors. Findings indicate that activity, courses, and facilities are core factors driving positive comments. Coaches, environment, and activities are key determinants influencing neutral evaluations. Attitude, integrity, and qualifications can trigger negative reviews. The findings offer insights into developing consumer-friendly service for sports venues.

Research on the influence of the visual perception characteristics of fitness trail landscape space based on psychological perception: a case study of Hunnan District, Shenyang, China

Based on the multidisciplinary method of collaborative psychology, sociology and environmental design research, this study conducts a quantitative study on the relationship between the visual perception of fitness trail landscape space and the psychological perceptions of fitness activities, providing data-driven references for the design of fitness trials. First, self-image acquisition is used to form a fitness trail landscape space image material library including 646 pictures. Second, we identify the user preferences for the composition of the main landscape elements of fitness trails, with subsequent research focusing on the top two preference combinations, namely, "plant-plant" and "plant-water." Third, on the basis of the results of the semistructured interviews, a word frequency analysis is conducted, and the visual perception feature index framework of the fitness trail landscape space containing 12 indicators is constructed in combination with the relevant literature. An image semantic segmentation process, along with manual auditing, is applied to the self-collected images, resulting in a dataset of visual perception characteristic indicators. Furthermore, based on the KANO model, a psychological perception evaluation framework is constructed, and psychological perception evaluation datasets are obtained by using the semantic differential (SD) method. Finally, correlation analysis, multiple regression, and curve fitting are applied to the two datasets and the relevant threshold ranges are obtained. The results show that within the "plant-plant" combination, the optimal threshold for the degree of enclosure is 66-81%, the optimal threshold for the green view rate is 62-78%, the optimal threshold for the degree of openness of the sky is 2.2-3.2%, and the optimal threshold for the building façade area ratio is 0-10%. For the "plant-water" combination, the optimal threshold for the green view rate is 58-68%, the optimal threshold for the openness of the sky is 4.1-6.0%, the optimal threshold for the water area ratio is 0.75-1.75%, and the optimal threshold for the road area ratio is 33-43%.

The impact of 15-minute fitness circles implemented in China on the public's subjective well-being-an empirical analysis based on CGSS2021

Background

Communities are the main places where the public spend their daily activities, and suitable community environments can help improve their subjective well-being. However, there is still limited evidence on how fitness environments in communities affect the public's subjective well-being. In recent years, Chinese governments have been created the 15-min fitness circle in communities to provide the public with convenient fitness facilities and venues. Whether this policy is effective in improving the public's subjective well-being and the mechanisms that how this policy affects it has not been fully explored. To answer this question, we further focus on the mediating role of sports participation between the 15-min fitness circle and public subjective well-being.

Methods

This study utilizes data from the 2021 China General Social Survey (CGSS) to integrate the 15-min fitness circle, public sports participation, and subjective well-being into a unified analytical framework. A three-step regression model was used to analyse their relationship and the mediating effect of sport participation. And SPSS Macro PROCESS was used to test the robustness of their mediating effects.

Result

Our research findings indicate the following: (1) the 15-min fitness circle has a significant positive predictive effect on the subjective well-being of the Chinese public (β = 0.080, p < 0.001), (2) The 15-min fitness circles have a significant positive impact on sports participation (β = 0.234, p < 0.001), and (3) sports participation serves as a crucial mediator in the relationship between the 15-min fitness circle and subjective well-being [Bootstrap 95% CI: 0.008, 0.019].

Conclusion

The study concludes that community fitness facilities are of great relevance in improving the subjective well-being of the public. The results of the study provide empirical support for the rationalization of the 15-min fitness circle in China, and provide theoretical and practical references for other developing countries in exploring ways to improve the subjective well-being of the public.

Assessing the Relationships between Physical Activity, a Healthy Life, and Personal Happiness in European Union Countries

Background: Maintaining a physically active lifestyle is a determinant factor of a healthy life and personal happiness. Meanwhile, physical inactivity remains a significant issue, resulting in negative consequences for public health. Objectives: This paper investigates the relationships between physical activity, physical inactivity, a healthy life, life expectancy, and personal happiness in European Union (EU) countries. Methods: This empirical study uses an artificial neural network and cluster analysis to analyze and interpret data from 27 EU countries. Artificial neural network analysis enables the assessment of the relationships between physical activity and inactivity, a healthy life, and personal happiness, while cluster analysis identifies groups of EU countries based on physical activity, healthy life, and personal happiness indicators. Results: The results show significant positive links between physical activity and improvements in healthy living and personal happiness. Conclusions: This study highlights considerable variations among EU countries regarding the levels of physical activity, healthy living, and personal happiness, emphasizing the importance of promoting physical activity to enhance public health and overall well-being. The findings suggest the need to develop customized policies that address country-specific factors and promote an active lifestyle.

Policy design and implementation: a quantitative evaluation and empirical study of China's rural sports policy based on the PMC index model

The formulation and implementation of a rural sports policy is an important means of promoting rural sports, improving the physical wellbeing of farmers, and enhancing the cohesion of rural communities. However, introducing such a policy faces problems in the process of specific policy practices, such as poor effective implementation, a lagging implementation effect, and goal cognitive bias. How to look at the current rural sports policy implementation blockage problem and the governance of the blockage, in order to improve the level of rural sports public service, is the focus of this paper's research. On this basis, this paper selects 56 policy texts, issued from 2002 to 2023, that are highly relevant to rural sports and have high timeliness and authority from the sports policies issued in China. Also, ROST CM6 software is used to count high-frequency words; this study then draws keyword social network mapping for the visual analysis of policy preferences and selects 20 rural sports policy texts as typical samples. Finally, a policy modeling research consistency (PMC) index model is used to evaluate the texts comprehensively and quantitatively. The results show that the overall design of China's rural sports policies is relatively reasonable. However, the consistency and effectiveness of their implementation need to be improved. Twenty representative policy texts have an average PMC index score of 5.96, with a concave index of 3.04 (which is good overall), with the highest mean value for rural sports policies at the national level. This is followed by the second highest value at the municipal and county levels, and the smallest at the provincial level. Therefore, in the future formulation and implementation of rural sports policies, a multi-dimensional rural sports policy system should be constructed. This would help to strengthen the consistency and effectiveness of the implementation of the policy system and promote the high-quality development of rural sports.

Physical Activity Is Associated with Physical Fitness and Executive Function among School Children in the Jiangxi Region of China

Previous studies have suggested that a positive relationship exists between physical activity (PA), physical fitness, and cognitive function in children and adolescents. However, research remains limited on the relationship among these three variables in Chinese individuals not living in big cities or specific regions. Therefore, this study investigated the association of PA with physical fitness and cognitive function (specifically, executive function) among 1100 children aged 9-12 years living in the Jiangxi region of China. Participants' PA levels were measured using the PA questionnaire for older children. Physical fitness was assessed based on cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body mass index (BMI). Executive function was assessed using the Behavior Rating in Inventory of Executive Function questionnaire. Data were analyzed using one-way analyses of variance, Scheffé tests, one-way analyses of covariance, and Pearson's correlation coefficients. The results showed that PA is significantly associated (p < 0.01) with cardiorespiratory endurance (r = 0.460), muscular endurance (r = 0.270), muscle strength (r = 0.190), BMI (r = -0.114), and executive function (r = -0.140). Moreover, all components of physical fitness and executive function differed significantly based on PA level, with and without age and sex as covariates (p < 0.05). Overall, our results highlight the importance of higher PA levels during childhood to improve physical fitness and cognitive function. Including the goal of improving health-related fitness factors, such as cardiorespiratory endurance and muscle strength, is particularly important in PA programs for children.

Keep Moving to Retain the Healthy Self: The Influence of Physical Exercise in Health Anxiety among Chinese Menopausal Women

Menopause is a period of high incidence of chronic diseases. Women experience various physical and psychological discomforts during menopause, and hormonal changes exacerbate mood swings in menopausal women and also cause them to begin to experience excessive worry and anxiety about their health problems. This study was a cross-sectional survey investigating the relationship between physical activity and women's health anxiety. Using cluster sampling, a valid sample of 455 females aged 45-50 was collected from 78 communities in five municipal districts in Changsha, China, and AMOS v.23 was adopted to construct a structural equation model to verify the hypotheses. The results indicate that interpersonal competence and emotional intelligence are negatively associated with health anxiety. Furthermore, interpersonal competence and emotional intelligence mediate the relationship between physical exercise and health anxiety, which means that menopausal women with more physical exercise, higher interpersonal competence, and higher emotional intelligence reported lower health anxiety. Finally, to alleviate menopausal women's health anxiety and reduce their risk of chronic diseases, the government, community, and family should create conditions and opportunities for women to participate in group physical activities.

Recognition Method of Sports Training Based on Intelligent Information Platform

With the wide development of sports nowadays, many kinds of sport applications have appeared and changed the living styles of people all around the world. There are many factors that are important for sports, such as the environment and exercise. At present, there are still some shortcomings in sports training management all around the world. For example, the unscientific is unclear, the training purpose is not strong, and the assistant decision-making means are backward. In this way, these issues jointly make the sport training process difficult. In this way, this paper applies the multi-agent technology to the system, designs an intelligent information sports training management and recognition method based on intelligent agents, and carries on the concrete implementation in certain environments. The corresponding experimental results indicate that the accuracy and intelligence of the training recognition system can be improved greatly and effectively.

Barriers associated with the public use of sports facilities in China: a qualitative study

Background

Sports and recreational facilities provide an important community resource where physical activity can be promoted among local residents. However, in China, many sports facilities are not fully open to the public and are often underutilized as essential public services. The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers to public entry from the facility management point of view.

Methods

A qualitative study informed by constructivist grounded theory. Individual interviews were conducted with executive managers, marketing staff, and facilities management personnel (n = 15). We took an inductive approach to data synthesis utilizing procedural three-level coding, and used the electronic data management program (NVivo12) to organize the data analysis process.

Results

The 15 participants discussed factors that impacted the sports facilities’ capacity to serve the public. Four key themes emerged from data synthesis: (a) Policy-related restrictions, (b) Management-related factors, (c) Service-related factors, and (d) Supervision factors. Specific barriers affecting facilities’ availability and accessibility involved policies and regulations, administrative pressure, institutional mechanisms, ideas, a professional team, practical ways, content development, schedule setting, spirit building, assessment and supervision, crisis management, and public evaluation.

Conclusion

Findings from this qualitative study provided theoretical ground and empirical support for future research aimed at making sports facilities more accessible to the public in order to maximize physical activity and meet the objectives of the national fitness blueprint in China.

Status and Influencing Factors of Physical Exercise among College Students in China: A Systematic Review

The status of the physical exercise of college students has been a popular topic in China. This study systematically reviewed the exercise status of Chinese college students and its influencing factors. A keyword and reference search were conducted in the Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Additionally, Google Scholar was searched to collect literatures related to physical activity of Chinese university students published in Chinese and English from 1 January 2017 to 30 July 2022. Fifteen studies met the selection criteria and were included in the review. The results show that the main motivation for Chinese college students to exercise is to strengthen their bodies, with running and walking ranking first and ball games ranking second in importance. Most of the college students exercised three times a week, which is the recommended minimum, and most of their workouts were of moderate intensity. Additionally, the workouts lasted for 30 min to 60 min. The main factors affecting college students' exercise are lack of time due to academic pressure, facilities constraints, and lack of professional exercise guidance. In conclusion, the physical fitness of university students should not be underestimated, and this study provides additional reference to promote healthier lifestyles among Chinese college students.

Alleviating Doctors' Emotional Exhaustion through Sports Involvement during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Roles of Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy and Perceived Stress

This study aims to understand the state of emotional exhaustion of Chinese doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and explore the role of sports involvement in enhancing doctors' regulatory emotional self-efficacy, reducing stress perception, and alleviating emotional exhaustion. Finally, report the existing problems and make recommendations to the government and hospitals. The researchers constructed a cross-sectional questionnaire survey to collect data. From March to April 2022, using the snowball and convenience sampling methods, a total of 413 valid questionnaires were collected from 13 hospitals in Hunan Province. AMOS 23.0 was used to construct a structural equation model (SEM) with the bootstrapping approach to verify the proposed hypotheses. Doctors with more sports involvement exhibited higher levels of regulatory emotional self-efficacy and lesser perceived stress. Doctors who exhibited higher regulatory emotional self-efficacy had lesser perceived stress. The relationship between sports involvement and emotional exhaustion was mediated by perceived stress and/or regulatory emotional self-efficacy. Therefore, the government and hospitals should strengthen the depth and intensity of implementing the "National Fitness Program" at the hospital level, instead of just holding short-term activities with a small number of participants, but to cover all medical staff with fitness opportunities.

Dilemma and countermeasure of sustainable leadership in physical education development in southern rural Ningxia, China

Globally, above 1.4 billion adults did not reach the recommended level of physical education in their daily life, thus triple intendent reforms are proposed by the Ministry of Physical Education for the development of sporting leadership in schools, colleges, and universities, which are essentially important for the development of physical and mental health of the students. This article analyzes the situation of lacking sustainable sporting leadership among other factors related to Physical Education (PE) resources in the southern areas of Ningxia. A mixed and multi-method approach was adopted to conduct the study. First, an in-depth but an open-ended qualitative interview with the professionals was carried out, followed by cross-sectional data collected from the respondents in two districts of the southern mountainous area of Ningxia. Moreover, a case study was included to support the phenomenon from a contextual perspective. The study present that PE education needs a modernization and rejuvenation plan to link with PE development and its sustainable execution and implementation for the physical and mental development of the learners. Moreover, it is suggested to strengthen the development of physical education with/through the fields of regional integration of educational resources sharing, cultural elements and integration, latest technological tools, research-based and cultural supported curriculum, and endogenous strength construction to promote the development of school physical education. Furthermore, continuous monitoring and evaluation mechanisms need to be adopted to develop physical education in the region.

A Study on the Path to the Sustainable Development of Sports-Consuming Cities-A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Fuzzy Sets Based on Data from 35 Cities in China

The prospects of China's sports sector hinge on how sports cities can thrive sustainably in the context of the new global pandemic, unlocking consumer potential and boosting domestic demand. In this study, 35 Chinese cities were chosen as research samples, and research methods such as literature, logical analysis, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis were used to select conditional variables such as government policy promotion and assistance, expert human resources, sports competitions and events, stadiums and facilities, and sponsorship by sports enterprises to examine how Chinese sports-consuming cities can develop sustainably. The research discovered that sports contests and events, as well as stadiums and facilities, are the essential prerequisites for the sustainable growth of sports-consuming cities, and that diverse combinations of the two may play a vital role in different circumstances. For the sustainable development of sports-consuming cities, there are four clusters and three models, which correspond to the "Venue + Event" model (Clusters 1 and 2), the "Event-led" model (Cluster 3), and the "Venue-led" model (Cluster 4). To encourage the high-quality growth of China's sports business, each city may establish its development strategy based on its unique qualities. The goal is to supply Chinese expertise for the long-term growth of Western sports cities.

Effect of mass sports activity on prosocial behavior: A sequential mediation model of flow trait and subjective wellbeing

Objectives

Participation in mass sports is one of the most efficient strategies for people to attain physical and mental health in China. Prosocial behavior has a positive effect on social development. This study developed a conceptual model with mass sports activity as the independent variable, prosocial behavior as the dependent variable, and flow trait and subjective wellbeing as the mediating variables.

Methods

Participants (N = 351) completed an online survey. Mass sports activity, flow trait, subjective wellbeing, and prosocial behavior were measured using the physical activity rank scale-3 (PARS-3), short dispositional flow scale (SDFS), index of wellbeing (IWB), and prosocial tendencies measure (PTM), respectively. Descriptive statistics compared differences between sports population (PARS-3, ≥ 36) and non-sports population (PARS-3, <36). Mediation effect was analyzed using the PROCESS (Template, Model 6).

Results

Sports population scored significantly higher (all P ≤ 0.05) on SDFS, IWB, and PTM than non-sports population. Participation in mass sports stimulated flow trait and thus improved prosocial behavior, with a mediation effect value of 0.061 (95% CI, 0.028–0.104), which accounted for 30.18% of the total effect. Participation in mass sports enhanced subjective wellbeing and thus improved prosocial behavior, with a mediation effect value of 0.044 (95% CI, 0.007–0.090), which accounted for 21.96% of the total effect. Flow trait and subjective wellbeing mediated the relationship between mass sports activity and prosocial behavior in a sequential manner, with a mediation effect value of 0.059 (95% CI, 0.035–0.090), which accounted for 29.23% of the total effect.

Conclusion

The preliminary results of the mediation model validated the hypothesized sequential links between mass sports activity, flow trait, subjective wellbeing, and prosocial behavior. Greater participation in mass sports increases the likelihood of prosocial behavior.

National Fitness Evaluation of Urban Parks in the National Ecological Garden City: A Case Study in Baoji, China

Urban parks are important places for residents to engage in physical activity (PA). Properly designed fitness facilities play a positive role in the PA level of park users. We conducted a quantitative evaluation of urban park systems based on the revised Chinese version of ParkScore (RCPS) from the perspective of national fitness. Baoji, one of the first National Ecological Garden Cities (NEGCs), was selected as a case study. We analyzed 19 parks and found that comprehensive parks and sports parks obtained high evaluation scores. The area of fitness facilities in Baoji urban parks was low, with an average of 1.85 hm2 per park. Professional sports venues and multifunctional sports venues each accounted for about one-third and children’s activity venues for about a quarter. There were many national fitness stations, but they covered a small area. Only 16% of parks had fitness trails, which was the least represented type of fitness facility. About 40% of the parks had children’s activity venues, with a 1:2 ratio of PA venue to amusement area. The area of free open venues accounted for only 0.1% of the total area of the parks. The number of parks per capita was about 52% of the overall NEGCs, accessibility of 500 m was 34%, and of 1000 m was about 54%. Overall, we found that the supply of Baoji urban parks was insufficient. These results directly reflect differences among fitness facilities in urban parks and can help form a quantitative basis for the optimization of urban park systems and advance the national fitness plan and promote public health.

Research on the Construction and Prediction of China's National Fitness Development Index System Under Social Reform

Background

National fitness is a development plan formulated by China to promote people's participation in leisure and fitness, enhance people's physique, and realize the general goal of strengthening sports.

Methods

Based on combing the development process of China's national fitness after reform and opening up, using the improved “balanced scorecard” method, this article constructs an evaluation index system of the national fitness development index.

Results

The national fitness development index was established, including 4 first-level indicators, 14 second-level indicators, and 49 third-level indicators. It can calculate the national fitness development index with a total score of 100 points.

Conclusion

To verify the feasibility of the evaluation system, the goal current situation evaluation method is used to calculate the national fitness development index during the 14th Five Year Plan period based on the development of national fitness during the 13th Five Year Plan period to provide evaluation tools and theoretical reference for the development of national fitness in China.

Physical Activity for Health and Wellness

Regular physical activity (PA) is both a preventive measure and a cure for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [...].

Physical Inactivity, Non-Communicable Diseases and National Fitness Plan of China for Physical Activity

BACKGROUND

China has the world's largest population, going under health transition due to industrialization, urbanization, and a sedentary lifestyle. About 82% of China's disease burden is due to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Physical activity (active travel) is the best preventive measure against NCDs. The Chinese government has introduced several steps to improve national fitness and overcome NCDs among the aging population. Exercise and sports play a vital role in promoting physical activity and helpful in accomplishing the national fitness level for Healthy China under the national fitness plan (NFP).

OBJECTIVE

The current study aimed to explore the role of national fitness plan (NFP) in promoting physical activity and health well-being preventing NCDs under built environment intervention.

METHODS

The study was exploratory, and the mixed-method approach was used to analyze the primary and secondary data. Quantitative content analysis was used to analyze the collected data. A purposive sampling technique was used to collect the primary data from those individuals rich in knowledge about the National Fitness Plan (NFP) of China and its role in promoting physical activity for physical fitness.

RESULTS

The majority of the participants (32.0%) said that the national fitness plan helps promote sports environment and health. About 28.0% reported that NFP helps promote cycling and walk environments for physical activity and health promotion and preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

CONCLUSION

Participation in physical exercise and sports is the preferred approach to prevent different diseases. In the context of rising active living among the Chinese people, the facilities such as built environment and green parks under the national fitness plan (NFP) for sports play a crucial role in the mitigation of NCDs.

Traffic Safety Perception, Attitude, and Feeder Mode Choice of Metro Commute: Evidence from Shenzhen

Like many other transit modes, the metro provides stop-to-stop services rather than door-to-door services, so its use undeniably involves first- and last-mile issues. Understanding the determinants of the first- and last-mile mode choice is essential. Existing literature, however, mostly overlooks the mode choice effects of traffic safety perception and attitudes toward the mode. To this end, based on a face-to-face questionnaire survey in Shenzhen, China, this study uses the two-sample t-test to confirm the systematic differences in traffic safety perception and attitudes between different subgroups and develops a series of multinomial logistic (MNL) models to identify the determinants of first- and last-mile mode choice for metro commuters. The results of this study show that: (1) Walking is the most frequently used travel mode, followed by dockless bike-sharing (DBS) and buses; (2) Variances in traffic safety perception and attitude exist across gender and location; (3) Vehicle-related crash risks discourage metro commuters from walking to/from the metro station but encourage them to use DBS and buses as feeder modes; (4) DBS–metro integration is encouraged by the attitude that DBS is quicker than buses and walking, and positive attitudes toward the bus and DBS availability are decisive for the bus–metro and DBS–metro integration, respectively; and (5) Substantial differences exist in the mode choice effects of traffic safety perception and attitudes for access and egress trips. This study provides a valuable reference for metro commuters’ first- and last-mile travel mode choice, contributing to developing a sustainable urban transport system.