Physical fitness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of annual national physical fitness surveillance among 16,647,699 Japanese children and adolescents between 2013 and 2021.
J Sport Health Sci
; 2022 Nov 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2242150
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The primary aim was to examine the temporal trends in physical fitness (PF) for Japanese children and adolescents before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The secondary aim was to estimate the concurrent trends in body size (measured as body mass and height) and movement behaviors (exercise, screen, and sleep time).METHODS:
Census PF data for children in Grade 5 (aged 10-11 years) and adolescents in Grade 8 (aged 13-14 years) were obtained for the years 2013-2021 from the National Survey of Physical Fitness, Athletic Performance, and Exercise Habits in Japan (nâ¯=â¯16,647,699). PF and body size were objectively measured, and movement behaviors were self-reported. Using sample-weighted linear regression, temporal trends in mean PF were calculated before the pandemic (2013-2019) and during the pandemic (2019-2021) with adjustments for age, sex, body size, and exercise time.RESULTS:
When adjusted for age, sex, body size, and exercise time, there were significant declines in PF during the pandemic, with the largest declines observed in 20-m shuttle run (standardized (Cohen's) effect size (ES) =â â¯-â¯0.109 p.a.) and sit-ups performance (ESâ¯=â¯- 0.133 p.a.). The magnitude of the declines in 20-m shuttle run and sit-ups performances were 18- and 15-fold larger, respectively, than the improvements seen before the pandemic (2013-2019), after adjusting for age, sex, body size, and exercise time. During the pandemic, both body mass and screen time significantly increased, and exercise time decreased.CONCLUSION:
Declines in 20-m shuttle run and sit-ups performances suggest corresponding declines in population health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
Language:
English
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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