Effects of an 8-week multicomponent health-sports program on functional efficiency and volunteering attitudes among university students in Saudi Arabia: a randomized controlled trial

Background Volunteering and regular physical activity are both independently associated with improved physical and psychological wellbeing; however, their combined effects within structured, theory-driven interventions remain insufficiently explored, particularly in the Saudi university context. Multicomponent exercise programs that integrate functional training with brief educational and behavioral components may provide a novel strategy for simultaneously enhancing physical performance and prosocial motivation. Objective This study aimed to examine the effects of an 8-week multicomponent exercise program on functional movement quality, physical fitness, and volunteering motivations among university students in Saudi Arabia. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 70 healthy university students (35 males and 35 females; age: 19.3 ± 1.0 years), randomly allocated to either an experimental group ( n = 35) or a control group ( n = 35). The experimental group completed an 8-week multicomponent program combining functional training, cardiorespiratory conditioning, and brief health-education sessions linking physical effort to volunteering values, whereas the control group followed a traditional physical education curriculum. Assessments were performed at baseline, mid-intervention (week 4), and post-intervention (week 8). Outcomes included Functional Movement Screen (FMS), physical fitness indicators (50-m sprint, 1,000-m run, sit-and-reach, standing long jump, and vital capacity), and volunteering motivations assessed using the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results No significant baseline differences were observed between the two groups (all p > 0.05). After the 8-week intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in total Functional Movement Screen (FMS) score ( p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.18), with notable gains particularly in Active Straight-Leg Raise and Rotary Stability. Significant time × group interaction effects were found for all physical fitness measures: 50-m sprint ( p = 0.011, η 2 = 0.11), 1,000-m run ( p = 0.003, η 2 = 0.13), sit-and-reach ( p = 0.004, η 2 = 0.10), standing long jump ( p = 0.002, η 2 = 0.12), and vital capacity ( p = 0.001, η 2 = 0.14). Volunteering motivations also improved substantially in the experimental group, with a mean total VFI increase of 26.0 points ( p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.16), showing significant gains across all six dimensions (Values, Understanding, Social, Career, Protective, and Enhancement). Conclusion An 8-week multicomponent exercise program effectively improves functional movement quality, physical fitness, and volunteering motivations among university students. Integrating functional training with brief educational components appears to enhance both physical and prosocial outcomes, supporting the inclusion of such programs in university physical education and wellness curricula.