Background With increases in inactive lifestyles and mounting pressure for academic excellence in Chinese younger populations, lack of physical activity and increased prevalence of obesity have become a major public health concern in China. The purpose of this study is to provide updated estimates on the prevalence of meeting moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen viewing time guidelines, and overweight and obesity among Chinese school-aged children and adolescents, with a secondary aim examining variations in prevalence by sex, grade groupings, and residential location. Methods The study sample came from the 2017 Physical Activity and Fitness in China—The Youth Study, a cross-sectional and national survey of 131,859 students (aged 7 to 19 years) from 986 public schools in China. Measures of MVPA, screen viewing time, and age- and sex-specific overweight and obese body mass index were used to calculate national prevalence estimates of Chinese school-aged children and adolescents. Results In 2017, 34.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 34.09–34.11%) of children and adolescents met MVPA guidelines and 65.4% (95% CI, 65.39–65.41%) adhered to screen viewing time guidelines. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 15.1% (95% CI, 15.09–15.11%) and 10.7% (95% CI, 10.69–10.71%), respectively. Prevalence estimates differed by sex (boys, girls), grade grouping (primary schools, junior middle schools, junior high schools), and residential location (rural, urban). Conclusions There remains a low prevalence of meeting MVPA guidelines and high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chinese school-aged children and adolescents. Future efforts should focus on monitoring the trend of these behavioral and health risk factors to inform school policies and programs aimed at increasing physical activity and reducing and preventing obesity in younger populations in China. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6515-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

PurposeThis study was to present national estimates of participating in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and adherence to the recommendations of 60 min/day of MVPA among Chinese school-aged children and to assess demographic differences in MVPA.MethodsCross-sectional analyses of data from the 2016 Physical Activity and Fitness in China—The Youth Study. Participants were 90,712 primary, junior middle, and junior high school children (boy: 47%; girl: 53%), recruited from 1204 rural and urban schools across 32 administrative provinces and regions in the Mainland of China. Main outcomes were (a) average MVPA minutes per day in the previous 7 days by self-reports and (b) percentage meeting MVPA recommendations.ResultsAverage MVPA time was 45.4 min/day, with boys having more MVPA (47.2 min/day) than girls (43.7 min/day) overall and across the 3 school grade categories. About 30% of participants met MVPA recommendations, with a higher percentage of boys (32%) than girls (28%) overall and across the 3 grades categories. Urban school children outperformed rural children in terms of MVPA time. Overall, boys were more likely to meet MVPA recommendations (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16–1.22) compared with girls; children in higher grades (junior middle (aOR = 0.92, 95%CI: 0.87–0.98) and junior high (aOR = 0.59, 95%CI: 0.53–0.66)) were less likely to meet recommendations compared with primary school children. The odds of meeting recommendations did not differ between urban and rural children (p = 0.07), but urban boys were found to be more likely to meet recommendations compared with rural boys (aOR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.06–1.19).ConclusionOverall, the average MVPA minutes per day among Chinese school-aged children is low, and less than one-third of them meet MVPA recommendations. These results were most evident among junior middle and junior high school children and those living rural areas.

Highlights This study provides the prevalence estimates of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration (isolation and combination) in a nationally representative sample ( n = 114,072) of Chinese children and adolescents of grades 4–12. Only about 5% of Chinese children and adolescents show the most ideal combination of 24-h movement behaviors. Chinese children and adolescents with younger ages, higher parental education levels, and higher family incomes exhibit favorable 24-h movement behaviors. Chinese children and adolescents with the most ideal 24-h movement behaviors have lower risks of overweight and obesity, especially in children of grades 4–6 and girls of grades 7–9.

This study demonstrated that multiple regression models using data of MVPA or VPA were useful in predicting VO2max for Japanese adult women.

Background:Internationally comparable evidence is important to advocate for young people’s physical activity. The aim of this article is to present the inaugural Shanghai (China) Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.Methods:Since no national data are available, the working group developed the survey questionnaire and carried out the school surveys for students (n = 71,404), parents (n = 70,346), and school administrators and teachers (n = 1398). The grades of 9 report card indicators were assigned in accordance with the survey results against a defined benchmark: A is 81% to 100%; B is 61% to 80%; C is 41% to 60%, D is 21% to 40%; F is 0% to 20%.Results:The 9 indicators were graded as follows: Overall Physical Activity Levels (F), Organized Sport Participation (F), Active Play (D-), Active Transportation (C-), Sedentary Behavior (F), Family and Peers (B), School (B+), Community and the Built Environment (D+), and Government (D).Conclusions:Levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior were low and below the respective recommended guidelines. Interventions and policies at the community level should be encouraged to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. Future national surveys should be encouraged to strengthen Shanghai’s Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.