Effects of eight-week aerobic and resistance training on health self-efficacy, body image, and well-being in college students.

Background: This study explored the effects of innovative physical training during COVID-19 periods on college students' health self-efficacy, body image, and subjective well-being.

Methods: Forty-one students were recruited through convenience sampling and assigned to three exercise groups (i.e., aerobic plus resistance exercise [AE+RE], resistance plus aerobic exercise [RE+AE], and traditional dispersed aerobic plus resistance exercise [control]). The intervention sessions for each group were conducted 3 days per week for 30 min per session. The control group participated in a traditional exercise program comprising 5 days per week.

Results: Study results indicated that all three types of physical training programs effectively improved the participants' health self-efficacy (P<0.05). Female students scored significantly higher on health self-efficacy, body image, and subjective well-being than male students (P<0.05). The AE+RE group scored significantly higher on body image and subjective well-being than did the other two groups (RE+AE and control, P<0.05).

Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights that can assist in developing innovative physical education courses at higher education institutions to improve body satisfaction and well-being for the college students.