The association between online learning and young people's participation in sports and its mediating mechanisms.

Background: Against the backdrop of the concurrent Digital China and Healthy China strategies, pervasive digital technologies are profoundly reshaping how young people accumulate human capital and form health behaviors. As a salient form of human capital investment, online learning's independent effect on sports participation remains unclear and may be obscured by the influence of formal education. Clarifying this relationship is important for understanding mechanisms of health behavior formation in the digital era. Methods: Using the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) databases for 2020 and 2022, a pooled cross-sectional dataset comprising 8,530 young adults aged 18-44 was constructed. We estimated linear and logistic regression models in a stepwise fashion, systematically controlling for demographic characteristics, urban-rural residence, health status, education, and other factors to identify the net effect of online learning on sports participation. Heterogeneity was examined via subgroup regressions, and the mediating role of perceived "importance of learning" was tested using a bootstrap approach. Results: After rigorously controlling for educational attainment, online learning exhibits a significant positive effect on both the frequency of physical exercise and the probability of participation. Notably, years of education per se are consistently negatively correlated with engagement in physical exercise. The promotive effect of online learning is stronger among males and urban youth. Mediation analysis indicates that enhancing individuals' perceived importance of learning significantly increases the indirect effect that promotes participation in physical activity. Conclusion: The findings indicate that online learning is an independent and effective form of digital human capital that promotes sports participation among youth. Its influence extends beyond information transmission to driving behavior change by shaping positive learning values. The study suggests that digital health promotion practice should leverage the cognitive activation function of online learning platforms and prioritize the development of high-quality digital health learning resources to sustain the cultivation of lifelong healthy habits among young people.