The association between family capital and physical exercise among young and middle-aged adults

The potential mediating pathway of intergenerational transmission of education

Datos Bibliográficos

ID22090740
AutoresFan Yang (0000-0003-2978-7102, Sichuan International Studies University), Qiang Yi (0000-0001-5447-8446, Sichuan International Studies University), Yi Yang (0000-0002-9729-8522, Chongqing Three Gorges University), Ling Wang (0000-0002-5015-7706, Chongqing Three Gorges University)
Año2026
Volumen14
Páginas1791251-1791251
Fecha de publicación2026-05-08
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
EditorialFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2026.1791251
PMID42180480
OpenAlexW7160506414
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas51

Introduction: Against a backdrop of increasing attention to health inequities, behavioral differences in physical exercise among young and middle-aged adults should be examined through structural factors such as family capital and the intergenerational transmission of education. Methods: This study uses data from the 2023 China General Social Survey and selects a sample of 2,394 adults aged 18-60. An ordered probit model tests the statistical association between family capital and exercise frequency, the bootstrap method verifies the indirect association of intergenerational educational transmission, and subgroup regressions combined with Suest tests analyze heterogeneity across urban/rural residence, gender, and income groups. Results: (1) both economic and cultural capital are significantly positively associated with physical exercise, with the association of cultural capital being more robust; social capital does not show a significant direct association; (2) offspring's education plays a significant partial mediating role between family capital and physical exercise, and the mediation proportion is higher for cultural capital than for economic capital; (3) heterogeneity analysis indicates that the association of economic capital is stronger in rural and low-income groups, whereas the association of cultural capital is more pronounced among urban residents and women, which may reflect the deep mechanism through which cultural capital shapes health behaviors via habitus. Discussion: Physical exercise behavior exhibits clear intergenerational transmission, and education is the core pathway through which family capital is associated with offspring's healthy lifestyles. This process is systemically moderated by China's urban-rural binary structure, gender roles, and class differentiation, suggesting a multi-level, multi-path cumulative mechanism underlying the formation of health inequalities. Policies should promote individual participation in physical activity, enhance health awareness, and advance health equity by addressing family capital and intergenerational educational transmission

Cultural capital · Economic capital · Human capital · Mediation · Ordered probit · Physical capital · Social capital · Social mobility · Health disparities and outcomes · Physical Activity and Health · Social and Cultural Dynamics