DECREASE IN PHYSICAL FITNESS IN SOUTH CHINA COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM 2015 TO 2018: 223 Board #39 May 27 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Physical fitness (PF) is important for human health and movement throughout the lifespan. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore changes in physical fitness in college students from the first year of college to the third year of college. METHODS: 3606 Chinese college students aged from 16 to 23 years old (1810 males) were recruited from Shenzhen University in China. The subjects participated in PF tests in 2015 and 2018. Physical characteristics and PF tests included body weight (BW), body height (BH), body mass index (BMI), vital capacity, 50-meter running, long distance jumping, sitting body flexion, 800-meter running (only for females), 1000-meter running (only for males), sit-up (only for females) and pull-up (only for males). All students were tested by facilities TSN200 (produced by Physical Fitness Science and Technology Company). Dependent T-tests were used to compare variables responses and a two-way ANCOVA was used to examine gender by time at post-test with pre-test scores serving as a covariate (p < 0.05). RESULTS: In females, significant differences were noted for BH, VC, 50-meter running, long distance jumping, sitting body flexion, 800-meter running, and sit-ups. In males, significant differences were found for BW, BMI, VC, 50-meter running, long distance jumping, sitting body flexion, and 1000-meter running. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that many PF performance tests decreased over the time frame noted. Moreover, it appears that limited performance time was dedicated to PF. Therefore, we suggest that strategies should be enacted by the University or government to improve the condition of PF for college students in China.