The indirect association between physical fitness and physical activity enjoyment through perceived sport competence among female university students: a cross-sectional study

Physical activity enjoyment is an important psychological correlate of sustained participation in physical activity. Female university students often report relatively low levels of physical activity participation and enjoyment, underscoring the need to identify factors associated with positive activity experiences. This study examined the associations among composite physical fitness (PF), perceived sport competence (PSC), and physical activity enjoyment (PAE), with particular attention to the indirect association between PF and PAE through PSC. This cross-sectional study included 312 female university students aged 18–22 years recruited from four universities in China. PF was operationalized as a composite score derived from the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard. Body mass index (BMI), calculated from measured height and weight, was included in the composite PF score together with vital capacity, 50-m sprint, 800-m run, standing long jump, sit-and-reach, and 1-min sit-ups. PSC was assessed using the Sport Competence subscale of the Physical Self-Perception Profile—Revised (PSPP-R), and PAE was assessed using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES). Pearson correlation analyses were conducted, and PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap resamples was used to estimate the indirect association between PF and PAE through PSC. Composite PF was positively associated with PSC ( r = .339, p < .001) and PAE ( r = .276, p < .001). PSC showed the largest observed correlation with PAE ( r = .618, p < .001). In the indirect association model, PF was positively associated with PSC, and PSC was positively associated with PAE after accounting for PF. The direct association between PF and PAE was not statistically significant after PSC was included in the model (β = .075, p = .115). The indirect association between PF and PAE through PSC was statistically significant, with a completely standardized indirect effect of 0.201 (95% bootstrap CI [0.131, 0.276]). The findings were consistent with a statistically significant indirect association between composite PF and PAE through PSC among female university students. Although causal or temporal conclusions cannot be drawn from this cross-sectional study, perceived sport competence may be relevant to understanding physical activity enjoyment in this population. University physical education programs may consider integrating fitness development with mastery-oriented approaches that support perceived sport competence.