Percentile Curves for Multiple Physical Fitness Components Among Chinese Han Children and Adolescents Aged 7-18 Years From a National Survey Based on the Total and the Normal Weight Population.

Ning Ma,Yi Song,Xiaojin Yan,Jingshu Zhang,Yunfei Liu,Yanhui Dong,Panliang Zhong,Jiajia Dang,Patrick W C Lau,Jun Ma

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.770349

Abstract

Introduction: To develop sex- and age-specific percentile curves for seven physical fitness components for Chinese Han children and adolescents aged 7–18 years based on the total and the normal weight population using a nationally representative sample.Methods: A total of 214,228 Chinese Han children and adolescents aged 7–18 years old with all nutritional status and 161,999 with normal weight were examined. Seven physical fitness components [forced vital capacity (FVC), standing long jump (SLJ), 50-m dash, sit-and-reach (SR), grip strength (GS), body muscle strength (BMS), and endurance running (ER)] were measured, and percentile curves for each physical fitness component at the 20th, 40th, 60th, and 80th percentiles were calculated using the general additive model for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS).Results: Physical fitness presents different characteristics in each subgroup of sex, age, and nutritional status among children and adolescents. Sex- and age-specific percentiles for the seven physical fitness components among the Chinese Han children and adolescents aged 7–18 years based on the total and the normal weight population were provided as curves. Boys performed better than girls in FVC, SLJ, 50-m dash, GS, and ER but worse in SR. The performances of FVC, SLJ, 50-m dash, GS, BMS, and ER increased with age, but the estimates of SR were at the bottom among boys aged 12 years and girls aged 11 years. The annual increments of all components were larger in boys than girls at the peak time, which was earlier in girls than boys. The gap of physical fitness components between sexes increased with age, especially during puberty (since after 11 years old).Conclusion: The present study described the percentile curves of seven physical fitness components among the Chinese Han children and adolescents based on the total and the normal weight population at the national level, which could help to chart the level of physical fitness across age span and identify the extreme populations with either health concerns or potential talents.

Highlights

To develop sex- and age-specific percentile curves for seven physical fitness components for Chinese Han children and adolescents aged 7–18 years based on the total and the normal weight population using a nationally representative sample
Either among the total or normal weight population, the height and weight were significantly higher among boys than girls (P < 0.001), and physical fitness performances were better among boys in forced vital capacity (FVC), standing long jump (SLJ), 50-m dash, grip strength (GS), and eight 50-m shuttle runs, while better among girls in SR across all ages (P < 0.001)
Considering the different characteristics of physical fitness in each subgroup of sex, age group, and nutritional status among children and adolescents, Figures 2–12 and Supplementary Tables 2–15 present the sex- and age-specific percentile curves (P20, P40, P60, and P80) and percentile values (P5, P10, P20, P30, P40, P50, P60, P70, P80, P90, and P95) for the seven physical fitness components based on the total and the normal weight population, respectively

Summary

Introduction

To develop sex- and age-specific percentile curves for seven physical fitness components for Chinese Han children and adolescents aged 7–18 years based on the total and the normal weight population using a nationally representative sample. Normative-referenced percentile evaluation is one of the most common methods to assess physical fitness, providing the relative position of an individual’s physical fitness level within a group [12]. In China, national standards for assessing the physical fitness of children and adolescents have been established [11]. These standards provide scores only for each physical fitness component, which might cause children and adolescents, especially those with lower levels, to overestimate their physical fitness; for example, the score of 60 usually corresponds to P10 of the reference population for each physical fitness component. Few recent studies have produced normative-referenced percentile values for a comprehensive set of physical fitness tests in China [18]

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