It has been well documented that lack of physical activity (PA) and prolonged sedentary behaviors (SB) in adults are closely related to their physical health and psychological well-being [[1], [2], [3]]. Current PA guidelines by the World Health Organization (WHO) highlight the importance of PA participation at certain intensity levels with sufficient volume for substantial health benefits [4]. Specifically, an adult (aged 18–64 years) should participate in at least 150–300 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), or at least 75–150 min of vigorous PA (VPA), or an equivalent combination of moderate PA (MPA) and VPA, per week [4]. This means that PA recommendations can be attained through different patterns. With physical inactivity, i.e., an insufficient PA level to meet current PA recommendations, identified as a determinant of non-communicable diseases [5], all adults are recommended to limit the amount of sedentary time to prevent poor health outcomes [4]. Previous research has found that prolonged SB, independent of PA, is associated with a higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality [6].

An increase in global research has focused on physical inactivity and prolonged sitting time among young adults [7]. One study involving university students from 23 countries showed that approximately 40% of them were physically inactive, a situation particularly evident in those living in developing and middle-income countries [8]. As the literature reports, this prevalence of physical inactivity among university students is even higher than that in the overall adult population (27.5%) [8,9]. Recent studies in China have observed a similar trend of physical inactivity among university students (51.5%) that is significantly higher than the general Chinese adult population (22.3%) [10,11]. Along with a lack of PA, young adults indulge in too much SB time (approximately 8.5–9.5 h per day) [12,13]. Thus, more research investigating PA and SB correlates among university students as a vulnerable group of young adults is warranted for promoting an active lifestyle. Furthermore, since female university students are less likely to meet PA recommendations and spend more time being sedentary than their male peers [8,14,15], sex disparity should be considered when attempting to fully understand PA participation of university students.

Psychological characteristics are common correlates in shaping people's health behaviors, including PA [16]. Resilience, defined as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, and the like [17], often varies by sex, with males outperforming females [18,19]. It has been reported that people's resilience is positively correlated to their PA [[20], [21], [22], [23]]. Most previous studies investigating the relationship between resilience and PA have focused on how PA participation can impact individuals' resilience and mental health [19,21,22,24]. For example, exercise can enhance people's resilience and improve mental health by alleviating negative emotions [24], and individuals who participate in PA at a higher intensity level, such as MPA [22] and VPA [21], demonstrate better resilience. It should be noted that the relationship between resilience and PA may be bidirectional, such that an individual with better resilience is more likely to be physically active. Resilient individuals appear to have more motivation and confidence to engage in PA [25]. Moreover, they tend to employ key processes (e.g., seeking social support, problem coping strategies, and positive perspectives) that promote health or protect them against the influence of risk factors for physical inactivity [26]. However, the potential contribution of resilience on the amount of PA and SB in young adults remains unclear. To the best of our knowledge, no study has examined how resilience specifically influences an individuals' attainment of PA and SB recommendations.

According to Arnett's (2000) emerging adulthood theory, the transition from adolescence to adulthood, i.e., the period between 18 and 29 years old, is a unique and critical developmental phase marked by both identity explorations and multiple changes in psychological characteristics and behaviors [27]. People who adjust poorly during emerging adulthood are more likely to face problematic health behaviors [28]. To promote the development of effective health programs for one group of emerging adults, i.e., university students, this study examined their PA and SB recommendations attainment and determined the associations of these recommendations attainment with resilience by considering the sex of the individuals. We hypothesized that (1) males would be more physically active and possess a higher resilience level than females, and (2) resilience would be a significant predictor of PA and SB recommendations attainment among university students regardless of their sex.