Effects of an 8-week tennis exercise program on physical activity, body appreciation, and well-being in university students

Sedentary lifestyles among university students are associated with reduced physical activity, lower psychological well-being, and poorer body appreciation. Although regular exercise has been shown to improve both physical and mental health, evidence regarding the effects of recreational tennis interventions on these outcomes in sedentary university students remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of an 8-week tennis exercise program on psychological well-being, body appreciation, and cognitive-behavioral physical activity among sedentary university students. Forty sedentary university students (16 females, 24 males; age: 20.3 ± 1.85 years) were randomly assigned to either an intervention group ( n = 20) or a control group ( n = 20). Participants in the intervention group completed a supervised tennis program consisting of one 120-min session per week for 8 weeks, whereas the control group did not participate in any structured physical activity program. The first four weeks emphasized fundamental tennis techniques, while the remaining four weeks involved half-court and paired match play. Psychological well-being, body appreciation, and cognitive-behavioral physical activity were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention using validated questionnaires. Data normality was evaluated using the Shapiro–Wilk test, and repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine within- and between-group differences. Significant group × time interactions were observed for psychological well-being ( p < 0.001), body appreciation ( p < 0.001), general body appreciation ( p = 0.046), body image investment ( p < 0.001), and outcome expectations ( p = 0.011), indicating greater improvements in the intervention group. Cognitive-behavioral physical activity scores increased significantly over time ( p = 0.014); however, the group × time interaction did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.052). No significant group × time interactions were observed for self-regulation ( p = 0.523) or personal barriers ( p = 0.142). An 8-week recreational tennis exercise program improved psychological well-being and body appreciation among sedentary university students. Although cognitive-behavioral physical activity increased over time, this change was not supported by a statistically significant group × time interaction. These findings suggest that recreational tennis may be a beneficial and enjoyable exercise modality for supporting psychological well-being and positive body perceptions in previously inactive university students. This study was not prospectively registered in a clinical trial registry.