Economic Growth and Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Children and Adolescents in Urban Areas: A Panel Data Analysis of 27 Provinces in China, 1985–2014

Abstract

With rapid economic development in China, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of children and adolescents is on a decline. However, this appears to have slowed down, reaching stagnation in certain areas. However, it is unclear if the change in CRF is related to economic growth and development or not. This study describes trends in CRF of Chinese children and adolescents, and empirically tests the relationships between China’s macro-economic developments and cardiorespiratory fitness of children and adolescents over the past 30 years using provincial panel data collected from one million samples. We used per capita disposable income as the economic indicator. CRF was assessed by using running tests: 50 m × 8 for boys and girls (7–12 years), 1000 m for boys (13–22 years), and 800 m for girls (13–22 years). The results show that economic growth has a U-shaped relationship with CRF of children and adolescents (both boys and girls). It appears that as incomes increased, CRF of urban male and female students in China gradually decreased to its lowest point, after which it showed an upward trend. From a horizontal perspective, it can be inferred that for low-developed provinces, increases in incomes cause a decrease in CRF levels. In contrast, for highly developed provinces, as incomes increase, CRF levels increase. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the relationship between macro-economy and CRF of youth, based on provincial panel data. The results presented here can be used to formulate health policies targeting the cardiorespiratory fitness of children and adolescents from middle-income provinces in China. This study also provides a reference for developing countries.

Longitudinal Association of Economic Growth with Lung Function of Chinese Children and Adolescents over 30 Years: Evidence from Seven Successive National Surveys

“…Forceful inhalation and deflation of the lungs strengthens respiratory muscles [ 36 ]. The endurance running level of Chinese urban students between 1984 and 2014 showed a U-shaped trajectory [ 20 ]. In addition, a U-shaped relationship was reported between economic growth and endurance running of children and adolescents between 1985 and 2014 [ 20 ].…”

“…Similar to the relationship between income inequality and development [ 16 ], the concept of the Kuznets curve relationship has been recently applied to explore personal health issues [ 17 ]. For instance, previous studies reported an obesity Kuznets curve [ 18 , 19 ] and a cardiorespiratory fitness Kuznets curve [ 20 ]. To predict lung function and provide empirical evidence for formulating public health policy, it is important to explore whether there is a Kuznets curve relationship between lung health and economic growth.…”

Measurement of the Energy Intensity of Human Well-Being and Spatial Econometric Analysis of Its Influencing Factors

“…The increase of income level usually leads to the increase of energy consumption, and many scholars have also studied the relationship between this factor and energy intensity [44,45]. Meanwhile, income level can also affect individual health status [46,47], so this factor should be considered as one of the important factors affecting EIWB.…”

The Positive Impacts of Exhibition-Driven Tourism on Sustainable Tourism, Economics, and Population: The Case of the Echigo–Tsumari Art Triennale in Japan

“…Panel data are a multi-dimensional type of data involving measurements over time [74]. Panel data contain observations of multiple phenomena obtained over multiple periods for the same objects [75]. Moreover, panel data are more informative than other types of data since they offer more variability and their estimates are, therefore, more efficient [8].…”