Dual trends in physical fitness and suspected myopia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-school study of children aged 6-11 years in rural Zhejiang, China.
Social distancing and reduced physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic may have adversely affected children's physical fitness and visual health. This study compared physical fitness indicators and the prevalence of suspected myopia among Chinese children aged 6-11 years in 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2020 (during the pandemic) using cross-sectional school screening data.
Data were collected in 2019 (N = 1,183) and 2020 (N = 1,120), and analyzes complete cases for each outcome (maximum n = 1,069 and n = 1,116, respectively). Physical fitness outcomes included body mass index (BMI), flexibility, and athletic performance. Visual acuity (unaided distance) was used to define suspected myopia as visual acuity < 5.0 (Chinese standard logarithmic chart) in either eye. Year differences were evaluated using regression models adjusted for age and sex with class-level cluster-robust standard errors. Prevalence ratios for suspected myopia were estimated using modified Poisson regression, and multiple tests were controlled using the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate.
During the pandemic period, BMI increased among children aged 6-8 years. Flexibility declined among 6-year-olds and girls aged 7 years. Rope-jumping performance improved in most age groups, except for boys aged 6 and 10 years, while no statistically significant changes were observed in 50 m sprint performance across age groups. The prevalence of suspected myopia increased significantly in 2020 compared with 2019, with age- and sex-specific differences, including higher risks among girls aged 7 and 11 years and boys aged 10 years.
These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions-particularly for younger children-to mitigate the potential impacts of the pandemic on weight management, physical fitness, and visual health, considering age- and sex-specific differences.
Data were collected in 2019 (N = 1,183) and 2020 (N = 1,120), and analyzes complete cases for each outcome (maximum n = 1,069 and n = 1,116, respectively). Physical fitness outcomes included body mass index (BMI), flexibility, and athletic performance. Visual acuity (unaided distance) was used to define suspected myopia as visual acuity < 5.0 (Chinese standard logarithmic chart) in either eye. Year differences were evaluated using regression models adjusted for age and sex with class-level cluster-robust standard errors. Prevalence ratios for suspected myopia were estimated using modified Poisson regression, and multiple tests were controlled using the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate.
During the pandemic period, BMI increased among children aged 6-8 years. Flexibility declined among 6-year-olds and girls aged 7 years. Rope-jumping performance improved in most age groups, except for boys aged 6 and 10 years, while no statistically significant changes were observed in 50 m sprint performance across age groups. The prevalence of suspected myopia increased significantly in 2020 compared with 2019, with age- and sex-specific differences, including higher risks among girls aged 7 and 11 years and boys aged 10 years.
These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions-particularly for younger children-to mitigate the potential impacts of the pandemic on weight management, physical fitness, and visual health, considering age- and sex-specific differences.
Authors
Shu Shu, Zhou Zhou, Matsui Matsui, Hirose Hirose, Maehashi Maehashi, Lei Lei, Jiang Jiang
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