Assessment of the impact of integrating campus sports infrastructure into the urban environment on the physical activity indicators of student youth and social cohesion

Abstract

The article assesses how the integration of university campus sports infrastructure into the urban environment affects the level of physical activity among student youth and the indicators of social cohesion. The purpose of the study is to conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of differences between universities with a closed-access model of sports facilities and those implementing an integrated open model, in which the infrastructure is used by both students and city residents. The empirical basis consisted of data from 14 Russian universities in six large cities (n = 3150 full-time students), divided into two comparable groups: A with closed infrastructure and B with an integrated model. Data collection was carried out in 2022-2023 using a standardized questionnaire based on IPAQ and Sampson s social cohesion scale, analysis of statistical reports from sports complexes (attendance, flow structure, revenues), and content analysis of local social networks; data processing was performed in SPSS 26.0 and R using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and correlation regression analysis. It was shown that at universities with integrated infrastructure, students average weekly physical activity (5,12 h versus 3,84 h) and the proportion of individuals meeting WHO recommendations (48,7% versus 31,4%) are significantly higher; the frequency of visits to sports facilities also increases (6,91 versus 4,15 times per month). At the same time, there is a sharp rise in facility occupancy during peak hours (89,3% versus 43,8%), the share of external users (42,5% versus 1,2%), and revenue per 1 m2 of area, which indicates higher social and economic efficiency of the open campus model. The integral index of social cohesion in universities with integrated infrastructure reaches 8,15 points compared to 6,19 in closed campuses due to an increase in the sense of belonging, frequency of intergroup contacts, and perception of the campus as a safe and friendly space. Strong positive correlations were found between the share of external users and levels of physical activity (r = 0.782) and SCI (r = 0.695), as well as between the utilization rate and these indicators, which indicates a synergistic effect of integration. It is concluded that the open model of university sports infrastructure use forms a self-sustaining loop of growth in physical activity and social cohesion and should be considered a strategic direction for the development of campuses and the urban environment.