Life satisfaction and parental support among secondary school students in Urumqi: the mediation of physical activity

BACKGROUND: This study is aimed to analyze the relationship between parental support, physical activity and life satisfaction among secondary school students in Urumqi city, and also to explore the mediating role of physical activity in the relationship between life satisfaction and parental support among secondary school students. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022, using a stratified whole-group random sampling method among 2,474 secondary school students aged 11–18 years in Urumqi city, including a general demographic questionnaire, a Chinese version of the Child and Adolescent Physical Activity Questionnaire, Chinese version of the Child and Adolescent Parental Support Scale, and the Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale. The Bootstrap mediating effect test was used to test the effect relationship between the variables, and Amos was adopted to analyze the mediating effect of physical activity between secondary school students’ life satisfaction and parental support. RESULTS: Secondary school students scored (33.22 ± 5.68) on life satisfaction, (2.11 ± 0.64) on physical activity, (24.85 ± 4.31) on the mother’s roll and (24.73 ± 4.40) on the father’s roll. Maternal support was a significant direct predictor of life satisfaction (β = 0.303, t = 11.893, P < 0.01). Maternal support was a positive predictor of physical activity (β = 0.027, t = 9.332, P < 0.01). And the physical activity was a positive predictor of life satisfaction (β = 1.362, t = 7.665, P < 0.01). Paternal support was a significant direct predictor of life satisfaction (β = 0.334, t = 13.448, P < 0.01). Paternal support was a positive predictor of physical activity (β = 0.030, t = 10.665, P < 0.01). Physical activity was a positive predictor of life satisfaction (β = 1.264, t = 7.119, P < 0.01). Physical activity had a mediating effect between life satisfaction and parental support (effect values: 11.88% in maternal support and 11.38% in paternal support, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The supportive parental environment of secondary school students in Urumqi can directly influence their life satisfaction and also indirectly influence their life satisfaction by enhancing their physical activity level, and parental support for physical activity of secondary school students should be enhanced to promote their life satisfaction level.