Physical Exercise and Subjective Self-Rated Health in Chinese Older Adults: The Mediating Effect of Social Capital

Abstract

Within the framework of active aging, participation in physical exercise has become an important strategy for maintaining and promoting the health of older adults. This study aims to investigate the mediating roles of social capital in the relationship between physical exercise participation and self-rated health among Chinese older adults. Using data from the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), ordinal logistic regression was employed to explore the mediating effect of social capital on the link between physical exercise and self-rated health in the older adults. The results show that self-rated health among older adults varies by gender, household registration, political status, education level, marital status and occupation. Physical exercise participation had both direct and indirect effects on self-rated health. Physical exercise participation directly improved older adults’ self-rated health and indirectly benefited it through the partial mediation of social networks and community participation, although the mediating effect of social trust is not significant. These findings further reveal the internal mechanism through which physical exercise participation contributes to health promotion among older adults, offering important theoretical insights and policy implications for advancing healthy aging and building a “Healthy China”.