Recreational sports and quality of life in university students: a six-domain study

Purpose This study examines the impact of recreational sports activities on the quality of life (QoL) of university students, emphasising multidimensional benefits across six domains: public health, family life, social connections, emotional well-being, academic quality, and time management.Methods A descriptive-comparative design was employed, involving 1601 students from the university. Participants (n = 901) and non-participants (n = 700) completed a 57-item QoL scale validated for reliability and cultural relevance. Data were analysed using t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation analyses, with subgroup analyses exploring variations based on gender, socioeconomic status, and activity duration.Results Students participating in recreational sports demonstrated significantly higher QoL scores across all dimensions (p < 0.001). Male students, long-term participants, and those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds reported particularly enhanced outcomes. Accordingly, the present findings should be read as stable, sample-level associations within our urban VNU–HCM cohort rather than proof of universal effects across all university contexts; replication in different institutional and cultural settings is required before broad generalisation.Conclusion In this sample, recreational sports participation was associated with higher scores across multiple QoL domains. These findings describe statistical associations rather than causal effects; further longitudinal or experimental work is required to determine whether participation produces within-person improvements in quality of life.