The Mediation Role of Self-Control in the Association of Self-Efficacy and Physical Activity in College Students

Global COVID-19 lockdown measures have led to an apparent decrease in physical activity. This study aimed to explore the explanatory function of self-control’s mediating role between self-efficacy and physical activity among college students. The analysis used the data of 1627 university students (aged 19.41 ± 0.66, range 17–28, 40.5% males) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Self-efficacy, self-control, and physical activity were tested, respectively, by the general self-efficacy scale, the new brief self-control scale, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) scale, which were analyzed by SPSS software. Correlation analysis showed that self-efficacy, self-control, and physical activity were related in pairs. Comparing the two dimensions of self-control, we found that self-discipline mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and PA, and impulse control did not mediate the relationship. Regarding the gender difference according to multi-group analysis, findings showed that females need higher self-discipline from the path of self-efficacy to physical activity improvement than males.