Do Your Peers Matter? Peer Effects in Adolescent Physical Exercise
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21354443 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shanshan Xu (0000-0003-4327-5154, Department of Sports Science College of Education, Zhejiang University Zhejiang Hangzhou China), Liang Hu (0000-0001-6984-834X, Department of Sports Science College of Education, Zhejiang University Zhejiang Hangzhou China, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 95 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 1072-1081 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of School Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-4391 • E-ISSN: 1746-1561 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/josh.70073 |
| PMID | 40897398 |
| OpenAlex | W4413943970 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
BACKGROUND: Peers' physical exercise behaviors may influence adolescents' participation in physical exercise; however, few studies have systematically explored peer effects in physical exercise among adolescents. METHODS: Data from the China Education Panel Survey were used to examine peer effects in adolescent physical exercise within classroom units. A total of 14,998 seventh- and ninth-grade students from 405 classes across 106 schools nationwide participated in this study. RESULTS: Significant and positive peer effects in physical exercise within classroom units were observed, with classmates' average extracurricular exercise time positively influencing individual extracurricular exercise time. This result remained robust after sequentially controlling for individual and family characteristics, contextual effects, and correlated effects, as well as after applying the instrumental variable method and conducting robustness checks. Further moderation analysis revealed that age negatively moderated the relationship between classmates' and individual extracurricular physical exercise time, whereas other demographic and family characteristic variables showed no significant moderating effects. CONCLUSION: The design of adolescent physical education policies and the implementation of exercise promotion programs should adequately take peer effects into consideration and expand the social multiplier effect of exercise, thereby effectively enhancing youth engagement in physical exercise.
Adolescent health · Developmental psychology · Mathematics education · Moderation · Peer effects · Physical education · Physical exercise · Physical fitness · Physical therapy · Promotion (chess) · Medicine · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Physical Education and Pedagogy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Youth Development and Social Support
Peer Effects in Education
The developmental pattern of resistance to peer influence in adolescence
Having the wrong friends? Peer effects in adolescent substance use
Do peers matter? A review of peer and/or friends’ influence on physical activity among American adolescents
Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents
Identification of Endogenous Social Effects
How family structure influences middle-school students’ involvement in physical exercise and their academic achievement in China
Physical activity and recreational screen time among Chinese children and adolescents
The impact of the peer effect on adolescent drinking behavior
The impact of peer effect on students' consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages- instrumental variable evidence from north China
Toward a concept of psychosocial maturity
Age differences in resistance to peer influence
Social Norms and Comparison
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |