Trend in health-related physical fitness for Chinese male first-year college students: 2013–2019

INTRODUCTION: Physical fitness is a health indicator contributing to the prevention of non-communicable diseases that threaten public health. Studies across a number of global populations indicate that physical fitness is generally declining. This study investigated the trend in physical fitness of Chinese male first-year college students from 2013 to 2019 to offer critical information for fostering individual and public health. METHODS: This study used archival data and a natural experiment design capturing 4 years of data prior to implementation of the Healthy China 2030 initiative and 3 years following. Physical fitness tests were based on the Chinese national student physical fitness standards for males including body mass index, vital capacity, standing-long-jump, sit-and-reach, pull-ups, 50 m sprint, and 1,000 m run. Because the physical fitness tests set different standards for males and females, female data will be reported separately. Data from a total of 3,185 Chinese male first-year college students from a private university in Hebei Province of China were included in the study. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance was used for analyzing the research data. RESULTS: The results indicated an overall significant difference in health-related physical fitness of Chinese male first-year college students, with scores on health indicators generally declining from 2013 to 2019. Despite improvement on some fitness variables in some years, performance on virtually all indicators was diminished compared to baseline years. DISCUSSION: These findings can contribute to the existing global literature in the field of public health showing general declines in physical fitness. Chinese universities have the opportunity to support Healthy China 2030 goals and cultivate individuals' physical fitness by offering physical education course that encourage college students to participate in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activities in order to support physical fitness development.