The association between family capital and physical exercise among young and middle-aged adults: the potential mediating pathway of intergenerational transmission of education

Introduction Against a backdrop of increasing attention to health inequities, behavioral differences in physical exercise among young and middle-aged adults should be examined through structural factors such as family capital and the intergenerational transmission of education. Methods This study uses data from the 2023 China General Social Survey and selects a sample of 2,394 adults aged 18–60. An ordered probit model tests the statistical association between family capital and exercise frequency, the bootstrap method verifies the indirect association of intergenerational educational transmission, and subgroup regressions combined with Suest tests analyze heterogeneity across urban/rural residence, gender, and income groups. Results (1) both economic and cultural capital are significantly positively associated with physical exercise, with the association of cultural capital being more robust; social capital does not show a significant direct association; (2) offspring’s education plays a significant partial mediating role between family capital and physical exercise, and the mediation proportion is higher for cultural capital than for economic capital; (3) heterogeneity analysis indicates that the association of economic capital is stronger in rural and low-income groups, whereas the association of cultural capital is more pronounced among urban residents and women, which may reflect the deep mechanism through which cultural capital shapes health behaviors via habitus. Discussion Physical exercise behavior exhibits clear intergenerational transmission, and education is the core pathway through which family capital is associated with offspring’s healthy lifestyles. This process is systemically moderated by China’s urban–rural binary structure, gender roles, and class differentiation, suggesting a multi-level, multi-path cumulative mechanism underlying the formation of health inequalities. Policies should promote individual participation in physical activity, enhance health awareness, and advance health equity by addressing family capital and intergenerational educational transmission.