The Physical Fitness Level of College Students Before and After Web-Based Physical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Effect of lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic on physical endurance among healthy male university students in Wuhan: a retrospective cohort study

We aimed at investigating the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the time required to complete a 1000-m run and vital capacity (VC) among healthy male students at three universities in Wuhan, China, followed for four years covering the prepandemic (2019), early/late pandemic (2020/2021), and post-pandemic (2022) periods. Demographic information including age, body height/weight, and body mass index (BMI) were also collected. After dividing the participants into four groups based on BMI (i.e., underweight: BMI < 18.5; normal: 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25; overweight: 25 ≤ BMI < 30; obese: BMI ≥ 30), the associations of 1000-m run performance with changes in BMI and VC between different groups and within each group in different periods were analyzed. A 4-year follow-up on 10,037 participants demonstrated a progressive deterioration of 1000-m performance (p < 0.001) except the obese group. All participants showed a drop in VC in the post-pandemic period (all p < 0.001) compatible with their impaired 1000-m run performance. The underweight/normal BMI groups also exhibited an annual increase in BMI (all p < 0.001). Impairment in 1000-m performance was most conspicuous during the early pandemic period and as the pandemic subsided. Our findings showed deterioration in physical endurance and VC among university students during the pandemic, highlighting the need for cardiopulmonary exercise reinforcement during a pandemic.

Secular trends of physical fitness for college students in Anhui Province over the past decade

BACKGROUND

Since the beginning of the 21st century, China's economy has experienced rapid growth, resulting in a steady improvement in its citizens' living standards. However, alongside the emergence of modern civilization-related health issues, the overall physical fitness of the population has been declining. In the final year of 2019, a global COVID-19 pandemic emerged and persisted for three years, causing a significant diminution in human physical well-being. This article aims to delve into the changes in the physical fitness of college students over the past decade and anticipates future trends.

METHODS

A total of 58,472 university students aged 16-23 from 16 prefecture-level cities in Anhui province were recruited for this study. Total ten physical fitness indicators were tested: body height, body weight, vital capacity, standing long jump, sit-and-reach, 50-m dash, 1000 m run and pull-up (for boys), and 800 m run and sit-ups (for girls).The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, LSD tests, and Pearson's correlations.

RESULTS

The overall physical fitness scores of college students ranged from 68.71 (2023) to 71.13 (2019) during the last decade, with girls consistently demonstrating superior performance in physical tests. There was a statistically significant difference in physical fitness scores between the periods of 2015-2022 and 2023 (p < 0.05). When dividing the total physical fitness scores into four levels, a noteworthy downward trend was observed in the pass grade, while the other three grades exhibited an increasing trend year by year. Compared to the year of 2019, there has been a substantial decline in the physical fitness levels of college students, along with a notable uptick of "failed" candidates, in the year of 2020.In terms of individual physical fitness, boys outperformed girls in all physical testing items except for sit-and-reach, and significant differences were observed in most years for both boys and girls. Additionally, a consistent downward trend was observed in the proportion of underweight and normal weight students, while the proportion of overweight (increased by 2.1 times) and obese (increased by 4.4 times) students showed a marked upward trend from 2014 to 2023.

CONCLUSIONS

It is imperative to allocate special focus to the profound ramifications of the three-year COVIE-19 pandemic on the physical well-being of college students. In 2024, it is anticipated that the proportion of overweight and obese college students will increase, along with a continued increase in body height and vital capacity. However, there will be a notable increase in the time taken to complete the 50-meter dash and the 1000-meter/800-meter run. Conversely, a decline is forecasted for the performance in standing long jump, sit-and-reach, and pull-ups/sit-ups exercises, with an accelerating rate of deterioration. It is crucial to promptly identify the underlying reasons for the deteriorating physical fitness among college students, particularly in relation to obesity, and to implement effective measures promptly to address this issue.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Body Mass Index and Physical Fitness in Chinese College Students

PURPOSE

To explore the impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (CoPL) on body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness among college students.

METHODS

Two one-year cohorts, one with no pandemic lockdown (NoPL) exposure and one with CoPL exposure, were included. Baseline measurements were performed in October 2018 (NoPL) and October 2019 (CoPL), and follow-up data were collected one year later. Participants were divided into "deterioration", "no-change", and "improvement" groups based on their quartile distribution of one-year differences (follow-up-baseline) for lower 25%, middle 50%, and upper 25%. Baseline-category logit regression models were used to determine the odds ratios of deterioration and improvement in BMI and physical fitness, with "no-change" used as baseline.

RESULTS

A total of 2,594 and 2,525 students were included in NoPL and CoPL cohorts, respectively. CoPL was associated with higher odds for deterioration in BMI (male), explosive strength, upper-limb muscle strength, abdominal muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness, but lower odds for deterioration in BMI (female) and flexibility. CoPL was associated with lower odds for improvement in BMI (male), explosive strength, lower-limb and upper-limb muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness, but higher odds for improvement in BMI (female) and flexibility.

DISCUSSION

Not all dimensions of health outcomes were negatively impacted by the lockdown, as deterioration in BMI in males, muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness following the CoPL were more than that in the absence of the lockdown, while deterioration in BMI in females and flexibility were less than that in the absence of the lockdown.

Health benefits of short Taichi Qigong exercise (STQE) to University Students' core strength, lower limb explosive force, cardiopulmonary endurance, and anxiety: A Quasi experiment research

BACKGROUND

College students' physical fitness has declined over the past decades. Taichi Qigong exercise offers numerous health benefits and could serve as a suitable option for them. Traditional programs, however, are time-consuming and necessitate long-term commitments. Therefore, a more cost-effective intervention is needed.

METHODS

The study enrolled a total of 31 students who actively participated in a 5-week STQE program, consisting of three 60-minute sessions per week. Physical and mental health assessments included the Plank test, vital capacity measurement, 1000/800 m run test, standing jump, and the Zung Self-Rating Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS.

RESULTS

Following the STQE intervention, participants showed improvement in core strength (28.1 seconds in the Plank test, P = .025) and lower limb explosive force (6.52 cm in the standing jump test, P = .011), accompanied by a decrease in anxiety levels (a reduction of 3.41 in the Zung Self-Rating Scale, P = .039). However, no significant improvements were observed in cardiopulmonary endurance, as evidenced by a non-significant increase of 237.84 mL in vital capacity (P = .134) and a non-significant reduction of 1.6 seconds in the 1000/800 m run test (P = .764).

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that the STQE program effectively improves core strength, lower limb explosive force, and reduces anxiety levels among university students.

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on physical fitness among college women living in China

PURPOSES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on physical fitness among college women living in China and to explore how fitness changed with different physical conditions.

METHODS

We performed repeated measures of BMI, 800 m running and sit-up performance assessment on college women from one university in China pre and post the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 3658 (age 19.15 ± 1.08 yr.) college women who completed the same assessment pre and post the COVID-19 lockdown were included in the analysis. We analyzed the data using one way ANOVA and paired-samples t-test.

RESULTS

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the result shows a significant increase in BMI by 2.91% (95% CI =0.33, 0.40) and a significant decline in 800 m running and sit-up by 7.97% (95% CI =0.69, 0.77) and 4.91% (95% CI = -0.27, -0.19), respectively. College women in the highest quartile level of physical condition (Quartile 4) had more decreases than college women in the lowest quartile level (Quartile 1). Their BMI level was increased by 3.69% and 0.98% in college women in Quartile 4 and Quartile 1, respectively. Their performance of 800 m running was decreased by 9.32% and 7.37% in college women in Quartile 4 and Quartile 1, respectively. Their performance of sit-up was decreased by 13.88% in college women in Quartile 4 while it increased by 10.91% in college women in Quartile 1, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 lockdown might increase the BMI level and decrease 800 m running and sit-up performance among college women living in China. The decrease for college women in higher quartile level of physical condition (Quartile 4) were more seriously while college women in lower quartile level of physical condition (Quartile 1) were modest.

The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical fitness in young adults: a historical control study

The strength of evidence regarding long-term changes to fitness resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns is deficient. This two-site retrospective study aimed to investigate the long-term changes in physical fitness among young adults a year after the onset of the pandemic using a robust historical control. University freshmen who underwent physical fitness tests in 2019 and completed a follow-up in 2020 (study group) were included. The primary focus was to compare the current cohort with a historical control group who completed the same tests a year prior (2018). A total of 5376 individuals were recruited, of which 2239 were in the study group. Compared with the control, the study group exhibited a decrease in anaerobic fitness, with an overall difference of -0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], [-1.33 to -0.36]); declines in aerobic fitness, with a difference of -2.25 [-3.92 to -0.57] for males and -4.28 [-4.97 to -3.59] for females; a reduced explosive fitness (-2.68 [-3.24 to -2.12]); and a decreased upper-body strength in females (-1.52 [-2.16 to -0.87]). The fitness of young adults has been considerably compromised by COVID-19 lockdowns, highlighting the importance of promoting physical activity to prevent long-term health implications.

Comparative research on the development of college students' physical fitness based on online physical education during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

There are few studies that focus on the impact of online physical education teaching on college students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This research focuses on the impact of online physical education among medical school students in China by comparing physical fitness test results for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021.

METHOD

This study is a longitudinal survey. The subjects of the experiments were students enrolled in a medical school who completed a physical fitness test for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021. The student subjects were divided into two groups, namely, male and female. The test indices included body mass index (BMI), vital capacity (VC), 50-metre run, sit-and-reach, standing long jump, pull-up (male), 1000-metre run (male), sit-ups (female) and 800-metre run (female). Repeated measures ANOVA method was used in physical fitness test indices at three consecutive time points ranging from 2019 to 2021. The Greenhouse-Geisser correction was applied when Mauchly's hypothesis test did not meet the assumption of sphericity, and the Bonferroni method was used for pairwise comparisons.

RESULTS

A total of 3360 students (1490 males and 1870 females) completed physical fitness tests in three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021. The proportion of overweight and obesity in male students was significantly higher than that in female students (28.0% vs. 12.7%). For all subjects, in 2020, the BMI and VC indexes improved, while the 800-/1000-metre running indexes declined. In 2021, all indexes except sit-and-reach increased.

CONCLUSION

The pairwise comparisons of physical fitness test results from 2019 to 2021 show that online physical education is effective in improving all items except long-distance running. Future research needs to involve a larger and geographically more dispersed sample to further analyse the effectiveness of online physical education.

Obesity and weight change during the COVID-19 pandemic in children and adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Many obesity risk factors have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, including physical inactivity, poor diet, stress, and poverty. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as associated lockdowns or restrictions, on weight change in children and adults. We searched five databases from January 2020 to November 2021. We included only longitudinal studies with measures from before and during the pandemic that evaluated the change in weight, body mass index (BMI) (or BMI z-scores for children), waist circumference, or the prevalence of obesity. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted to obtain pooled estimates of the mean difference in outcomes. Subgroups were evaluated for age groups and diabetes or obesity at baseline. The risk of bias was assessed using a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. A total of 74 studies were included (3,213,776 total participants): 31 studies of children, 41 studies of adults, and 2 studies of children and adults. In children, the pooled mean difference was 1.65 kg (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.40, 2.90; 9 studies) for weight and 0.13 (95% CI 0.10, 0.17; 20 studies) for BMI z-scores, and the prevalence of obesity increased by 2% (95% CI 1%, 3%; 12 studies). In adults, the pooled mean difference was 0.93 kg (95% CI 0.54, 1.33; 27 studies) for weight and 0.38 kg/m² (95% CI 0.21, 0.55; 25 studies) for BMI, and the prevalence of obesity increased by 1% (95% CI 0%, 3%; 11 studies). In children and adults, the pooled mean difference for waist circumference was 1.03 cm (95% CI -0.08, 2.15; 4 studies). There was considerable heterogeneity observed for all outcomes in both children and adults, and the certainty of evidence assessed using GRADE was very low for all outcomes. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, small but potentially clinically significant increases in weight gain, BMI, and increased prevalence of obesity in both children and adults were observed. Increases were greater in children, and targeted prevention interventions may be warranted.

The Impact of Health-promoting Technologies on University Students’ Physical Development

Aim: To investigate the impact of training sessions on the ground of health-promoting technologies upon students’ physical development in higher educational institutions. Materials and Methods: A group of 50 female students aged 17 to 22 was under our observation for a year. All of them were divided into the experimental (E) and the control (C) groups. The E group female students (n=25) were regularly involved in training sessions using health-promoting technologies, the C group female students (n=25) did not take part in this type of activities. Results: The positive impact of training sessions based on health-promoting technologies upon the physical development of the E group students was revealed. A significantly better level of strength and flexibility development was noted in the E group students, compared to the C one. A statistically significant difference was found after the experiment in the E group students’ indicators of static balance, vestibular stability, accuracy of assessment of strength, time and spatial parameters of movements. Conclusions: A rationally constructed system of training sessions based on health-promoting technologies stimulates biological processes, supports the functioning of both individual organs and the students’ body as a whole. This will contribute to strengthening students’ health, increasing their motor activities, improving the efficiency of both learning and future professional activities.

Impact of COVID-19 on 1000 m Running and Pull-Up Performance among College Men Living in China

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on fitness performance among Chinese college men during the pandemic period and to explore how fitness changed with a different college grade.

METHODS

We conducted repeated measures of 1000 m running and pull-up testing on students from one university in China before and after the lockdown. A total of 7107 (age 19.21 ± 1.17 yr.) male students who completed the same 1000 m running and pull-up testing in 2019 and 2020 were included in the analysis.

RESULTS

The paired t-test result indicates a reduction in 1000 m running and pull-up performance by 10.91% (95% CI = 0.89, 0.95) and 23.89% (95% CI = -0.36, -0.31), respectively. Interestingly, college men in the 2017 grade (the third-year college men) had more decreases than in the 2019 grade (the first-year college men). The 1000 m running performance was decreased by 14.43% and 6.48% in the third- and the first-year college men, respectively. The pull-up performance was decreased by 39.11 % in the third-year college men while increased by 10.98% in the first-year college men.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 lockdown reduced 1000 m running and pull-up performances among Chinese college men. The reduction varies by grade and it seems to be particularly seriously decreased for the third-year college men while being modest for the first-year college men. Public policy was urgently needed to improve Chinese college men's fitness performance after the lockdown.