The Effect of Physical Activity on Students' Ethical Behaviors of the University of Medical Sciences: The Mediating Role of Using Social Networks and Individual Attitudes on Their Physical Image

The main purpose of this study was to investigate of the effect of physical activity on the ethical behaviors of medical students of the University of Medical Sciences: the role of mediator in the use of social networks and individual attitudes about their physical image. The research was descriptive-correlational, and an applied research that was done field-by-field. The statistical population was all students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. In order to estimate the sample size, Morgan table was used and the sample size was estimated to be 300. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the experts (15 professors of sports management). The reliability of the questionnaire was also reported using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (physical activity: 0.85, moral behaviors: 0.81, social networking: 0.86 and individual attitude about body image: 0.83). The validity of the validation structure of the questionnaire was also accomplished through analysis of the main components with the varimax rotation. Data analysis was performed using software, Spss version 25 and Amos version 23. The results of the findings indicate that the use of social network variables cannot play a mediator role. Also, the results showed that the individual's attitude about his physical image could have a mediating role. It can be concluded from the results that if students have regular exercise activities, their attitude toward their physical image has increased and this will lead to self-esteem and students will show positive moral behaviors.