Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Belief-Targeted Non-Face-to-Face Leisure-Time Physical Activity Promotion Program for South Korean University Students

Background Despite a sharp decline in physical activity levels among university students since the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity programs for this population remain limited. Our previous research examined key beliefs influencing physical activity behavior among university students at a Korean university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a non-face-to-face leisure-time physical activity (NFTF-LTPA) promotion program for university students, focusing on three beliefs—health, friends, and laziness—identified as key determinants of physical activity behavior in our previous study. Methods Undergraduate students were newly recruited from the same university and departments (i.e., the College of Social Sciences and the School of Business) as our prior study. A belief-targeted intervention was implemented for three months. Process evaluations were conducted at mid-, and post-intervention, and outcomes were assessed at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. A one-month follow-up survey was also conducted after the intervention ended. A 2×4 repeated measures generalized linear model was conducted and subgroup analyses examined participants with high intervention adherence (PHIA) compared with controls. Results A significant interaction effect was observed for the control belief laziness ( F  = 3.85; p  = 0.031). Post hoc analyses indicated that perceived laziness decreased at the midpoint for the PHIA group compared with the control group. Significant group ( F  = 4.67; p  = 0.044) and time ( F  = 3.53; p  = 0.038) effects were found for LTPA participation. The PHIA group showed a substantial increase in LTPA participation at the program midpoint compared with baseline, and their LTPA participation time was significantly higher than that of the control group. Conclusions The NFTF-LTPA program effectively enhanced beliefs, intentions, and behaviors related to physical activity among inactive university students. Trial registration: The trial was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT07423403; 19 February 2026).