DOI: 10.1177/10519815261465340 ISSN: 1051-9815

Physical activities predict life satisfaction Among manufacturing employees: Fatigue as a moderating factor

Mingnan Zhao, Hui He, Haoqi Jiang, Yan Zhang

Background

High-intensity work and rising occupational stress in manufacturing highlight the need to examine protective factors like physical activity.

Objective

This study explored the impact of physical activity attitudes and behavior on work stress and life satisfaction among Chinese manufacturing employees.

Methods

A cluster-sampled cross-sectional survey recruited 1202 factory employees (mean age 26.76 ± 5.33 years; 482 females, 720 males) and collected data on physical activity levels, attitudes, work stress, and life satisfaction in the factory of China.

Results

The findings revealed that: (1) varying levels of physical activity influenced attitudes towards physical activity (F(2626) = 5.695, p  = 0.004) and life satisfaction (F(2626) = 3.135, p  = 0.044), but had no significant effect on work stress; (2) a positive attitude towards physical activity correlated positively with life satisfaction ( r  = 0.199, p  < 0.001) and physical activity levels ( r  = 0.170, p  < 0.001), while negatively with work stress ( p s < 0.001); (3) the positive attitude towards physical activity, coupled with moderate physical activity levels, contributed to an enhancement in employees’ life satisfaction. Additionally, the effect of physical activity attitude on life satisfaction was moderated by fatigue levels (β = -0.004, SE = 0.002, p  = 0.044).

Conclusion

Employees’ attitudes towards physical activity are closely related to their performance in physical activities and significantly predict their life satisfaction. Fatigue emerges as a moderating factor in this relationship.

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