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167. The intrinsic mechanism of promoting the physical and mental health of college students through physical education in universities from the perspective of embodied cognition

Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Background The current group of college students is facing multiple pressures such as academic, employment, and interpersonal relationships, and mental health issues are becoming increasingly prominent. According to statistics, about 30% of Chinese university students have anxiety tendencies, and 20% report varying degrees of depressive symptoms. College students often experience a decline in psychological adaptability due to insufficient physical activity, excessive cognitive load, and physical and mental separation. As a comprehensive intervention carrier that integrates physical practice, cognitive training, and emotional experience, college physical education can enhance physiological functions, improve psychological resilience, and promote social development through physical exercise, skill learning, and team collaboration. Therefore, based on the theory of embodied cognition, this study explores the internal mechanism of promoting the physical and mental health of college students through physical education, analyzes its role in alleviating anxiety and depression, improving emotional regulation, and enhancing social adaptability, and provides empirical evidence for constructing a university education model that integrates physical education with mind and body. Methods The study included 100 full-time college students aged 18-22. Participants voluntarily registered through campus recruitment and confirmed mild to moderate psychological distress through a mental health screening questionnaire. All participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 50). The experimental group received a 12-week embodied cognition oriented college physical education intervention course. The course content is systematically designed guided by embodied cognition theory, and is conducted twice a week for 90 minutes each time, for a total of 24 sessions. The control group maintained their original lifestyle and study habits during this period, only participating in routine activities arranged by themselves and not receiving any structured physical education intervention courses. The study used the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and physiological indicators such as heart rate, blood pressure, and physical fitness to evaluate before and after intervention. Statistical analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance, with a significance level set at p<.05. Results The SAS score of the experimental group significantly decreased from 52.4 ± 6.8 points before the intervention to 47.1 ± 6.2 points in the middle of the intervention (p<.01), and further decreased to 43.5 ± 5.9 points after the intervention (p<.001). The SAS score of the control group showed no significant change before and after treatment (p>.05). The lung capacity of the experimental group significantly increased from 3500 ± 520 ml to 3800 ± 480 ml (p<.001), while the control group showed no significant change (p>.05). Discussion Based on the embodied cognition theory framework, this study systematically explores the internal mechanism of college sports promoting the physical and mental health of college students through a 12-week physical education intervention course. The results showed that the anxiety level, emotional regulation ability, and multiple physiological indicators of the experimental group of college students who received structured sports intervention were significantly improved, and the improvement effect was significantly better than that of the control group who maintained regular activities. The research results have enlightening significance for optimizing the practice of health promotion in universities. Funding No. Y202456136; No. 26NDJC162YB.
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbag003.165
Author: Yingge Feng
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7128800628
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