What does this research mean for the field?

Organizational and interpersonal supports mediate the relationship between exercise self-efficacy and exercise motivation among military academy cadets. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to explore the multilevel influences on physical exercise motivation among military academy cadets using the Social Ecological Model.

March 6, 2026SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología0 citationsOpen Access

Influencing factors of physical exercise motivation among military academy cadets: a social ecological model analysis

WWWenqi WangMilitary University CXChao XuWojskowy Instytut Medycyny Lotniczej GGGuoxian GaoGuizhou University of Finance and Economics

Key Points

This study aims to explore the multilevel influences on physical exercise motivation among military academy cadets using the Social Ecological Model.
Developed a validated questionnaire based on Social Ecological Model constructs.
Conducted a cross-sectional survey with 581 Chinese military academy cadets.
Applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze pathways among variables.
Employed Bootstrap resampling (5,000 iterations) to test mediating effects.
Exercise self-efficacy had a significant total effect on exercise motivation but no direct effect, indicating full mediation.
Interpersonal support and organizational support exhibited significant positive direct effects on exercise motivation.
Identified three significant indirect pathways for exercise motivation involving self-efficacy and support variables.

Abstract

Background Physical exercise motivation is a critical determinant of health behavior among military academy cadets. While individual psychological factors have been extensively studied, the multilevel influences based on the Social Ecological Model (SEM) remain underexplored in this population. This study aimed to investigate the effects of intrapersonal (exercise self-efficacy), interpersonal (social support), and Organizational (institutional support) factors on exercise motivation among Chinese military academy cadets. Methods A validated questionnaire was developed based on SEM constructs. After pilot testing with 294 participants (Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.82 for all scales), a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 581 cadets. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed using AMOS 24.0 to examine direct and indirect pathways. Bootstrap resampling (5,000 iterations) was employed to test mediating effects. Results Exercise self-efficacy demonstrated a significant total effect on exercise motivation (β = 0.465, p 0.001, 95% CI 0.357–0.569) but no significant direct effect, indicating full mediation. Both interpersonal support (β = 0.547, p 0.001) and Organizational support (β = 0.198, p = 0.001) exhibited significant positive direct effects. Three significant indirect pathways were identified: (1) Self-efficacy → Organizational support → Motivation (β = 0.136, p = 0.005, 95% CI 0.038–0.268). (2) Self-efficacy → Interpersonal support → Motivation (β = 0.130, p 0.001, 95% CI 0.055–0.223). (3) Self-efficacy → Organizational support → Interpersonal support → Motivation (β = 0.175, p 0.001, 95% CI 0.115–0.255). Conclusion Organizational and interpersonal supports serve as critical mediators translating individual self-efficacy into exercise motivation. Multi-level interventions targeting policy optimization (e.g., mandatory group exercise programs), peer-mentoring systems, and instructor training may facilitate the transition from extrinsic compliance to intrinsic motivation among military cadets.

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