Fit for Well-being: The Role of Regular Physical Activity as a Positive Moderator between Social Media Fitness Content Consumption and Mental Well-Being

This study examined the role of regular physical activity as a positive moderator between social media fitness content consumption and mental well-being while controlling for the effect of physical appearance comparison. To investigate the key variables the WHO-5 Well- Being Index, the Facebook Intensity (FBI-Scale), the Physical Appearance Comparison Scale–3 (PACS-3), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form were selected. Participants for the explorative quantitative cross-sectional survey study were selected via convenience sampling and consisted of 83 participants between the ages of 17 to 28 years old. The hypothesis was accepted, finding a p-value of p = .028. Therefore, the moderation effect of regular physical activity in enhancing mental well-being for those engaged in higher physical activity and fitness content consumption shows a promising avenue for promoting mental health among young adults, also while taking the variable of physical appearance comparison on social media into account. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. Keywords: Social Media, Mental Well-Being, Physical Activity, Physical Appearance Comparison, Fitness Content Consumption, Generation Z, Cross-Sectional Survey Study