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Purpose: The study aimed to test the overall changes of health-related fitness (HRF) in minority Chinese college students and to examine HRF differences in gender, race, and year in college. Method: Participants (n = 1320) were minority college students with more than two-thirds females (ie 76.1%), and Hui, Tibetan, and Mongolia consisted of 13.8%, 13.8%, and 11.2%, respectively. Student HRF was tracked for four years. Data were analyzed using multilevel latent growth curve modeling. Results: Muscular strength and endurance were the weakest component in minority college students' HRF, while body mass index was within the category of "excellent". Males outperformed female on all components of HRF. Conclusions: It is suggested that interventions concerning minority females' HRF and muscular strength and endurance for both genders be constructed and tested.

Objective: To explore the anaerobic power and surface EMG (sEMG) of quardrocep muscle in lower extremities after single vibration training intervention. Methods: 8 excellent male long jumpers voluntarily participated in this study. Four intervention modes were devised, including high frequency high amplitude (HFHA,30Hz,6mm), low frequency low amplitude (LFLA,15Hz,3mm), high frequency low amplitude (HFLA,30Hz,3mm), and non-vibration (CON). All subjects received a knee extensor maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) test before the vibration. After the test, a 5×1 min. vibration would be carried out and the subjects were asked to pedal. Results: Peak power and average power output of the four vibration treatment methods did not reach obvious level. There was no obvious difference in root-mean-square (RMS) EMG of the dominant leg among the four treatments. The RMS EMG of the non-dominant leg of HFLA method during peak power output was much higher than that of HFHA and CON. The quotient between root-mean-square and peak power of the four groups did not reach significant level. Conclusion: Single vibration could not improve the anaerobic performance of long jumpers and HFLA might decrease the work efficiency of the non-dominant leg muscle of excellent long jumpers participating anaerobic test.

Background: Limited research has examined health and fitness indicators among individuals with different categories of intellectual disabilities (ID). The purpose of this brief report was to examine differences in health and physical fitness indicators among individuals with different levels of ID. Method: Individuals (n = 203) with mild, moderate, and severe ID completed a health and fitness screening. The health screening included blood pressure and lung capacity. Fitness measures were body composition, balance, and strength. We conducted multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) to examine level differences, controlling for age and gender. Results: Individuals with severe ID had significantly lower lung capacity than those with moderate ID, who had lower than those with mild ID. Individuals with mild ID had significantly higher handgrip strength than those with moderate ID, who had higher strength than those with severe ID. Conclusions: Lung capacity and handgrip strength are sensitive health and physical fitness risk markers for ID levels in China.

Objective: The constant deterioration of the physical fitness of college students has been a popular topic in China, thus this research analyzes the potential health risk of inadequate physical activity among college students. Participants/methods: During the national student fitness test (NSFT) in 2012, 1500 students from Tsinghua University were recruited and asked to complete the international physical activity questionnaire. Finally, 1414 (94.3%) students completed the study. Results/conclusions: Compared with those students who actively participate in exercise, the risk of obesity in college students lacking exercise was 1.25 times higher. Likewise, the probability of failure in the grip strength test and the standing long jump was also higher, with increases of 2.39 fold and 1.39 fold, respectively. Moreover, the total score of physical fitness test was the same. Consequently, this study suggests that college students should exercise regularly to increase their physical fitness.

There is a strong association between soya food consumption and health, but there are few studies on the association with muscular strength, especially in adolescent groups. This study was conducted to understand the status of soya food consumption and its association with muscular strength among secondary school students in southern China. A stratified whole-group sampling method was used to investigate and test the status of soya food consumption and muscular strength of 13 220 secondary school students in southern China. Linear regression analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the correlations between soya food consumption and muscular strength. Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with secondary school students with soya food consumption ≥ 3 times/week, male students with soya food consumption ≤ 1 time/week (OR = 1·896, 95 % CI: 1·597,2·251) and female students with soya food consumption ≤ 1 time/week (OR = 2·877, 95 % CI: 2·399, 3·449) students had a higher risk of developing lower grip strength (P < 0·001). The frequency of soya food consumption among secondary school students in southern China was 49·00 %, 28·77 % and 22·23 % for ≥ 3 times/week, 2–3 times/week and ≤ 1 time/week, respectively. There is a positive association between soya food consumption and muscle strength among secondary school students in southern China. In the future, increasing the consumption of soybean products can be considered for the improvement of muscle strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between physical fitness, anthropometric measurement, and bone health in adult men. Ninety-six adult men participated in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measures, including height, weight, chest, waist and hip circumference, and physical fitness parameters reflecting muscular strength, agility, flexibility, power, balance, and cardiopulmonary fitness were assessed. Whole-body bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner. The results showed bone health outcomes to have a significant correlation with anthropometric and physical fitness parameters. Stepwise regression analysis proved physical fitness parameters explaining significant variance in bone health such as BMD and BMC to be focused on muscular strength, flexibility, and pulmonary function. Furthermore, anthropometric parameters including hip circumference can help explain BMC. The findings suggest that anthropometry and physical fitness can be used for the prediction of bone health in adult men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social distancing measures against COVID-19 imposed restrictions on students that may have affected their physical health and fitness. The objective of this study was to investigate the change in physical fitness of primary school students across the coronavirus outbreaks from 2019 to 2021. This was a retrospective repeated cross-sectional study. We obtained the annual physical and fitness assessment data measured every November for all students at the same primary school in Guangzhou, China. There was a total of 6371 observations in the dataset for three years. The physical fitness of the students was evaluated with an overall physical fitness score, body mass index (BMI), lung vital capacity, physical flexibility (via a sit-and-reach test) and sports task performances (sprint, shuttle run, rope-jumping, and sit-up). Generalised estimating equations were used to determine any significant changes from 2019 to 2021, adjusted for confounders. After the COVID-19 outbreak in 2021, there was a significant elevation in BMI of 0.64 kg/m2 in 2020 and 0.39 kg/m2 in 2021 (p < 0.001). The overall physical fitness score was significantly increased by 2.1 and 4.1 points, respectively, in 2020 and 2021 (p < 0.001). Lung vital capacity and rope-jumping performance were significantly improved in both 2020 and 2021 compared with 2019, and sit-up performance was marginally significantly improved in 2020 and significantly improved in 2021. However, students demonstrated poorer flexibility and sprint and shuttle run performance in 2021 compared with 2019. A health promotion programme during and after COVID-19, including online physical education classes, television broadcasts, and a rope-jumping campaign, could account for these positive outcomes, along with the ease of administering rope-jumping and sit-ups at home.

Background: Increased physical activity level is related to lower risk of depressive symptoms, and there is an inverse association between muscle strength and risk of depressive symptoms among the elderly. Although there is evidence of an inverse association between muscle strength and depressive symptoms, the relationship between these variables in a younger population is still unknown. This study aimed to examine the association between handgrip strength, a representative indicator of skeletal muscle strength, and the risk of depressive symptoms among Chinese female college freshmen., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 867 participants aged between 16 and 23 years. Handgrip strength was measured with a handheld digital Smedley dynamometer, and handgrip strength relative to body weight (kg/kg) was calculated and was classified into tertiles as follows: low (0.32-0.50), medium (0.51-0.58), and high (0.59-0.94). Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the 20-item Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS), and three cutoff points were used to indicate different depression levels., Results: We found that 10.7% of participants were classified as having severe depressive symptoms using an SDS score of 50 as the cutoff point. After adjusting for potential confounders, the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms across tertiles of the relative handgrip strength were 1.00 (reference) for tertile 1, 0.614 (0.353, 1.069) for tertile 2, and 0.537 (0.292, 0.988) for tertile 3 (P for trend = 0.041). The significant associations remained when other cutoff points (SDS scores: 48 or 45) were used. Interactions between handgrip strength and potential confounders for depressive symptoms in the final models were not significant., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that handgrip strength is inversely and independently related to the risk of depressive symptoms among Chinese female college freshmen. The present findings can help develop an effective intervention strategy against depression. Further intervention studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying the effects of handgrip strength on depressive symptoms.

Objectives: A number of small-scale, single-country studies have suggested that muscular weakness may be a biomarker for cognitive health, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia. However, multinational, representative studies are lacking, particularly from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, we assessed the association between muscular strength (measured by maximal handgrip) and MCI in six LMICs (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa), using nationally representative data., Methods: Cross-sectional, community-based data on individuals aged 50 years or older from the World Health Organization's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health were analyzed. MCI was defined according to the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association criteria. Weak handgrip strength was defined as less than 30 kg for men and less than 20 kg for women using the average value of two handgrip measurements of the dominant hand. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between muscular strength and MCI., Results: A total of 32 715 participants were included (mean age 62 ± SD 15.6 y and 51.7% female). The prevalence of MCI and weak handgrip strength was 15.3% (95% CI, 14.4%-16.3%) and 46.5% (95% CI, 43.6%-49.5%), respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, weak handgrip strength was associated with 1.41 (95% CI, 1.23-1.61) times higher odds for MCI. The corresponding figures for those aged 50 to 64 years and 65 years or older were 1.35 (95% CI, 1.14-1.60) and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.27-1.86), respectively., Conclusions: Muscular weakness may provide a clinically useful indicator of MCI risk. Increasing our understanding of the connection between muscular and cognitive function could ultimately lead to the development and broader implementation of resistance training interventions targeting both physical and cognitive health., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Objectives : For this paper, we aimed to investigate the effects of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) versus the Core Stability Training (CST) program on neuromuscular function (NF) in the lower extremities among aging individuals who suffered from non-specific chronic lower back pain (NLBP). Regarding the design, during a 12-week intervention, a single-blinded randomized controlled trial was used to compare two intervention groups with a control group on the parameters of NF. Methods : Forty-three Chinese community-dwellers were randomly assigned into two intervention groups (three sessions per week, with each session lasting 60 min in TCC and CST) and a control group. The patient-based Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure the level of perceived pain, while parameters of NF as primary outcomes were measured by the Biodex System 3 Isokinetic Dynamometer. Results : For the knee joint, we observed significant differences in the endurance of left extension at a speed of 60°/s: (1) between TCC and control groups ( p < 0.01); (2) between CST and control groups ( p < 0.01). For the ankle joint, significant differences between CST and control groups were observed on the peak torque of left dorsiflexion ( p < 0.05) and the endurance of the left plantar flexion at a speed of 60°/s ( p < 0.05). In addition, we observed a significant difference between TCC and control groups in the endurance of the right plantar flexion ( p < 0.05). Conclusions : Chen-style TCC and CST were found to have protective effects on NF in aging individuals with NLBP, while alleviating non-specific chronic pain., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.