Differences in Cardiorespiratory Fitness between Chinese and Japanese Children and Adolescents

Background: This study aimed to compare the difference in cardiorespiratory fitness between Chinese and Japanese children and adolescents. Methods: Participants comprised 9025 children and adolescents aged 7–18 years from China and Japan. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was measured by performance in the 20 m shuttle run test (20mSRT) and estimated maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2max)). Differences in CRF between countries were evaluated by t-tests. Centile curves for the 20mSRT and VO(2max) values were constructed for Chinese and Japanese children and adolescents, respectively, using the Lambda Mu and Sigma (LMS) method. Results: (1) For most of the age groups, the 20mSRT and VO(2max) performances among Chinese participants were lower than among Japanese participants. (2) Japanese children had the most apparent gains in P(10), P(50), and P(90) VO(2max) values in primary school; however, they gradually decreased in middle school. For Chinese girls, the P(10), P(50), and P(90) VO(2max) values decreased gradually with age. (3) The VO(2max) value among Japanese children increased; however, it decreased or remained flat among Chinese children in primary school. Conclusions: CRF among Chinese participants was lower than among Japanese participants while the VO(2max) value showed different trends in primary school. Effective measures should be taken to improve CRF among children and adolescents.