Background/Purpose While Chinese national surveys of children and youth fitness have often been conducted, they were norm-referenced and focused on performance-related physical fitness. Using FitnessGram, a health-related physical fitness testing program using criterion-referenced standards, this study was to determine Chinese children/youths' health-related fitness status.
Method In total, 1,237 boys and 1,241 girls were recruited from six elementary schools (Grades 4 and 5), six middle schools (Grades 7 and 8) and six high schools (Grades 10 and 11) from six cities in Jiangsu Province, China. They were tested and evaluated using FitnessGram test items: Body Mass Index (BMI), PACER, Curl-up, Trunk Lift, and Push-up.
Analysis/Results Findings were that mean values of Curl-up, Push-up, Trunk Lift and PACER in each grade were within the healthy fitness zone, but mean values of high school students PACER were below the zone. About 19.9% (22.41% boys, 17.39% girls) students passed all test items. The passing rates in PACER, Curl-up, Trunk Lift, Push-up were 53.8%, 87.6%, 61.7%, 57.1%, respectively. Except for Push-up, the passing rates in elementary school were significantly higher than both middle and high school rates (p < .01). Results also showed 80.5% students had normal BMI (74.6% boys, 86.3% girls), and students with “Some Risk” or “High Risk” BMI had significantly lower passing rates than those with healthy BMI.
Conclusions Most children/youth in Jiangsu, China were fit, except for aerobic capacity. Aerobic capacity passing rates declined as students aged and students with normal BMI performed better in aerobic capacity, muscle strength and endurance.