Tendency to avoid physical activity mediates the association between perceived weight stigma and physical activity levels among university students

Background and aims: The World Health Organization recently announced an action plan to increase global physical activity (PA) levels due to individuals' increasingly inactive lifestyle. Perceived weight stigma (PWS) is a psychosocial factor that may reduce individuals' PA, and PA avoidance may be involved in this association. Therefore, the present study conducted a cross-sectional survey to investigate the mediating effect of tendency to avoid PA in the association between PWS and PA among Chinese university physical education (PE) students and non-PE students. Methods: Responses from non-PE (n = 2877) and PE (n = 2286) students were collected via an online survey comprising the Perceived Weight Stigma Scale, Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport Scale, and International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form. Results: Results of moderated atemporal mediation analysis showed a significant association between PWS and PA mediated by tendency to avoid PA among the two groups (B[SE] = 0.94[0.08], p < .001). In addition, compared to non-PE students, PE students were significantly less affected by tendency to avoid PA (B[SE] = -2.61 [0.29], p < .001). However, when affected, PE students showed a larger reduction in moderate PA levels than non-PE students (B[SE] = -9.14[4.51], p = .043). Conclusion: The present study's findings showed that PWS negatively affected PA via the atemporal mediation of tendency to avoid PA among university PE and non-PE students. Additionally, compared to non-PE students, PE students showed a larger reduction in moderate PA levels when affected by the tendency to avoid PA. Strategies