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Associations between body mass index and physical fitness indicators among Chinese university students: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation volume 16, Article number: 234 (2024) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Increasing body mass index (BMI) has many negative effects on the physical and mental health of university students and has become a common public health problem in all countries. However, there are few studies on the association between BMI and physical fitness indicators among Chinese university students in developing countries, and the findings are inconsistent. The present study aims to analyze the association between BMI and physical fitness indicators among Chinese university students, to assist in university students’ health development and intervention.

Methods

In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional assessment of BMI of 29,371 university students and a cross-sectional assessment of physical fitness indicators of vital capacity, sit and reach, pull-up(boys), sit-up(girls), standing long jump, 50 m dash, 1000 m run(boys ), 800 m run(girls). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s correlation analysis, and nonlinear regression modeling were used to analyze the associations that existed between BMI and various physical fitness indicators.

Results

The percentages of Chinese university students in emaciated, normal, overweight, and obese were 17.8%, 65.3%, 14.9%, and 2.0%, respectively. Comparing between different BMI groups (emaciated, normal, overweight, and obesity), for boys, the effect values ranged from 1.0 to 2.0% for the items of vital capacity, sit and reach, pull-up/situp, standing long jump, 50 m dash, and 1000/800 m-run. For run events, the range of effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 0.9; the range of effect sizes for girls also ranged from 0.2 to 0.9.

Conclusions

The physical fitness level of emaciated and obese Chinese university students is generally lower than that of normal-weight students, and the relationship between BMI and physical fitness indicators shows a “U-shape” or “inverted U-shape” curve. The effect of BMI on physical fitness is more significant in boys than in university girls. In the future, targeted physical exercise and health education should be provided to emaciated and obese university students to maintain a reasonable body weight and promote the healthy development of physical fitness.

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Introduction

Body mass index (BMI) is strongly associated with adolescent health and has been widely used worldwide because of its simplicity and ease of assessment [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries around the world have classified different populations, geographic regions, and age groups into “emaciated,” “normal,” “overweight,” and “obesity” groups based on specific BMI values, which is of great practical significance to the study of the health of different populations [2]. As lifestyles and economic standards continue to improve, the BMI of adolescents around the world continues to rise, posing a serious threat to adolescent health and future health in adulthood [3,4,5]. As an important group of adolescents, university students’ health is particularly important. Studies have confirmed that BMI can better reflect the physical health level of adolescents and has an important role in predicting future chronic cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality rates [6,7,8]. Studies have shown that there is an association between BMI (HR = 1.04) and the development of diabetes and that an elevated BMI is a significant contributor to an increased risk of diabetes [9]. In addition, it has been demonstrated that higher BMI leads to higher all-cause mortality, with a J-shaped correlation between BMI and overall mortality, with an estimated hazard ratio of 1.21 when higher than 25 kg/m2 (1.20–1.22) [10]. This shows the importance and value of BMI for people’s health.

In addition, BMI has a significant impact on adolescent health. Adolescents’ levels of physical fitness also have an important role and significance for adolescent health and future adult health and achievement [11, 12]. Research has confirmed that muscle strength in adolescents is an important determinant of future health, and that elevated muscle strength is associated with future health in a significant way [13,14,15]. It has also been shown that cardiorespiratory fitness, a core element of physical fitness, has a significant impact on health [16, 17]. Elevated cardiorespiratory fitness is important for brain executive function and maintenance of mental health levels [18, 19]. It can be seen that the level of physical fitness of adolescents plays an important role in adolescent health and future health in adulthood, and that better promotion of physical fitness in adolescents is important for health [20].

In recent years, research on the association between BMI and physical fitness in adolescents has gained widespread attention. A survey of 30,497 college students aged 19–22 in China showed a nonlinear relationship between BMI and PFI, with emaciated, overweight and obese college students having lower levels of fitness than those with normal weight [21]. Another study also showed a nonlinear relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness index (PFI) in college students, with emaciated, overweight, and obese students having a lower PFI than normal-weight students, and prospective longitudinal cohort studies are needed in the future to better determine causality and potential mechanisms [22]. Research on the relationship between BMI and physical fitness has focused on three main areas. First, several studies have analyzed the association between BMI in the overweight or obese group and various physical fitness indicators and have shown different linear relationships [23]. Second, BMI is an important covariate that better reflects the health level of adolescents. A study showed that there is a significant association between BMI and cardiorespiratory fitness, and that elevated BMI is an important risk factor for decreased cardiorespiratory fitness [24]. Third, BMI shows different curvilinear relationships with various physical fitness indicators of adolescents. A survey of Chinese adolescents shows that there is a significant correlation between BMI and adolescents’ standing long jump, grip strength, and so on [25]. It can be seen that BMI can better reflect the level of physical fitness of adolescents and has a better predictive effect on health. However, past studies have mainly focused on the association between BMI in overweight or obese groups and health, while neglecting the association between BMI in lower emaciated or malnourished groups and various physical fitnesses. In addition, past research on BMI and physical fitness has mainly focused on primary and secondary school students and groups from developed regions in eastern China, while there is very limited research related to university student groups from less developed regions and nationwide.

China is a vast country, spanning from east to west and from north to south, and it is not clear whether there are gender differences in the associations between BMI and various physical fitnesses among university students in different regions due to geographical differences. In this study, 29,371 university students were selected from all over China. The present study aims to analyze the association between BMI and physical fitness indicators among Chinese university students, to assist in university students’ health development and intervention. The hypothesis of this study is that Chinese university students’ BMI and physical fitness indicators present a “U-shape” or “inverted U-shape” curve.

Methods

Participants

The sampling of participants for this study was divided into three stages. In the first stage, based on the different geographical distributions in China, this study used digital randomization to select one city in each region (Changchun, Zhengzhou, Urumqi, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, ) as the survey city for the participants of this study based on the six geographic divisions in China (Northeast, North China, Northwest, Southwest, East China, and South China). In the second stage, two universities were randomly selected in each city as test schools for this study. In the third phase, each university was distributed according to grade levels, and 15 teaching classes were randomly selected from each grade level. University students in the classes who met the inclusion conditions of this study served as participants in this study. The specific inclusion conditions were: university students enrolled in school; aged 19–22 years old; with no physical disabilities; and volunteered to be surveyed for this study. Ultimately, a total of 30,245 university students in 720 instructional classes were assessed in this study. A total of 874 invalid questionnaires were excluded after the survey, and 29,371 valid questionnaires were returned, resulting in an effective return rate of 97.11%. Among the excluded questionnaires, 470 questionnaires lacked important demographic variables, 78 questionnaires were broken, and 326 questionnaires had a response rate of less than 80%. GPower 3.1 software was applied to estimate the required sample size for this study, and the minimum sample size output by the software was 21,393 cases, and the minimum sample size for inclusion in this study was 25,672 cases, taking into account the loss of 20% sample size. The actual sample size of this study is 29,371 cases, which meets the experimental requirements [26]. Figure 1 shows the participant sampling process.

Fig. 1
figure 1

Sampling process of Chinese university student participants

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Written informed consent was obtained from the participants before the investigation of this study. This study was conducted by the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Human Ethics Committee of Gannan Normal University (202306765).

Body mass index (BMI)

BMI was calculated based on an assessment of the participant’s height and weight.BMI = weight (kg)/height (m) 2. Height was assessed to the nearest 0.1 centimeter. The results of the weight assessment are accurate to 0.1 kg. The assessment methods and testing instruments for height and weight are by the testing instruments and methods required by the China National Survey on Students’ Constitution and Health (CNSSCH) [27]. Participants were asked to empty their bowels and urine before the assessment to safeguard the accuracy of the results. During the assessment, participants were asked to wear light clothing for the test.

In this study, based on the BMI classification standard for Chinese adults, university students’ BMI was categorized into emaciated(< 18.5 kg/m2)、normal(18.5~23.9 kg/m2), overweight(24.0~27.9 kg/m2), obesity(≥ 28.0 kg/m2) [28].

Physical fitness level assessment

The physical fitness tests include vital capacity, sit and reach, pull-up (boys), sit-up (girls), standing long jump, 50 m dash, 1000 m run (boys), and 800 m run (girls). Tests are conducted by the China National Survey on Students’ Constitution and Health (CNSSCH) [27].

(1)Vital capacity During the assessment, the participant stood in a natural position, holding the handle in his/her hand, tilted his/her head slightly backward, and tried his/her best to inhale deeply until he/she could not inhale; then, he/she slowly exhaled with his/her mouth aligned with the mouthpiece until he/she could not exhale. At this time, the value shown on the display is the value of lung capacity. The test is performed twice, and the tester records the maximum value in milliliters, with no decimals, at intervals of no more than 15 s [27].

(2)Sit and reach During the test, the participant puts his/her hands together, extends the palms downward, straightens the knee joints, bends the body forward, and pushes the vernier smoothly with the tips of the middle fingers of both hands at a constant speed until it cannot be pushed forward. When recording, if the scale exceeds the “0” point, it is recorded as a positive value; if the scale does not exceed the “0” point, it is recorded as a negative value. Subjects were tested twice and the tester recorded the maximum value in centimeters to one decimal place [27].

(3)Pull-up(boys) Pull-ups are tested using a high bar or a high horizontal bar, the thickness of which is determined by the participant’s ability to hold the bar in his/her hands. Participants face the bar and stand naturally; then they jump up and hold the bar in the front hand, with their hands separated by shoulder width, and the body is in a straight-armed hanging position. After the body stops swaying, both arms exert force at the same time and lead the body upward; when leading the body, the body shall not have any additional movement. When the lower jaw exceeds the upper edge of the bar, return to the straight-armed hanging position, and complete one rep. Staff record the number of times the participant has completed. The number of times is counted as one [27].

(4)Sit-up(girls) The participant lay supine on a cushion, legs slightly apart, knees bent at 90°, and fingers of both hands crossed behind the head. The partner pressed on the ankle joint to immobilize the lower limb. The staff issued the command “start” and turned on the watch to record the number of times the participant completed the exercise within 1 min. When the participant sits up, both elbows touching or exceeding both knees are considered as completed. The number of times a participant completes the exercise in one minute is recorded to the nearest digit [27].

(5)Standing long jump Participants stand in the test area with their feet naturally apart, behind the starting line, without toes stepping on the line, and after making a good pre-swing movement, they jump with both feet in place at the same time, without padding or jumping in succession. Measure the vertical distance from the back edge of the jumping line to the back edge of the nearest landing point. Each person has one chance to take the test. The result of the test is in centimeters and is kept in whole numbers [27].

(6)50 m dash The 50-meter run is conducted on a flat surface. Before the test, several straight runways 50 m long and 1.22 m wide should be drawn on a flat surface. Set one end as the starting line. The other end is the finish line. Subjects at least 2 people in a group, standing start; when you hear the starting signal, immediately start, run to the finish line. The starter stood at the side of the starting line started the watch at the same time as the starting signal, and stopped the watch when the subjects’ chests reached the vertical plane of the finish line. Recorded in seconds, retaining 1 decimal place. The second digit after the decimal point shall be rounded off according to the principle of “1” instead of “0” [27].

(7)1000 m run(boys), 800 m run(girls) Usually a group of 10–15 participants of the same gender with a standing start. When the start signal is heard, start immediately and run full out to the finish line. The starter stands to the side of the start line. The timekeeper, located at the side of the finish line, opens the watch at the same time as the visual start; the watch is stopped when the participant has run the full distance and his/her chest reaches the vertical plane of the finish line. Records are kept in seconds with 1 decimal place. The second digit after the decimal point will be rounded off according to the principle of “0” to “1” [27].

Quality control

The assessment was carried out by a person who recorded the assessment scores on the participants’ test cards and required the participants not to make any private alterations. The instrument was calibrated before each day’s assessment. To safeguard against differences in assessment results due to morning and evening assessments, all assessments in this study were conducted in the afternoon. Staff members involved in the assessment undergo rigorous training before the assessment and are assessed and qualified before they are allowed to carry out the assessment.

Statistical analysis

In this study, BMI was categorized into Emaciated, Normal, Overweight, and Obesity according to the classification standard for Chinese adults. Comparison of physical fitness levels among different BMIs was analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Comparisons of physical fitness levels between BMI groups of different sexes were analyzed by effect size, Cohen’s d: small effect: 0.2; medium effect: 0.5; large effect: 0.8 [29]. A combination of previous literature shows that there is a nonlinear relationship between BMI and physical fitness indicators [22, 30].The association between BMI and different physical fitness of different genders was analyzed using nonlinear quadratic regression model assessment. The quadratic regression equation Y = aX2 + bX + c (Y = each physical fitness index, X = BMI) was established, where a, b, and c are constants. y was used as the dependent variable, and X was used as the independent variable. SPSS 25.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) statistical software was used for analysis.

Results

In this study, 29,371 (16,410,55.9% boys) Chinese university students aged 19–22 years were assessed cross-sectionally for BMI and physical fitness indicators, and the mean age of the participants was (20.36 ± 1.10) years. Table 1 shows the distribution of the number of Chinese university students by age group.

Table 1 Distribution of Chinese university students by age group of participants (%)
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Table 2 shows the basic characteristics of BMI and physical fitness of Chinese university student participants. The results showed that the BMI of Chinese boys aged 19–22 years was (22.02 ± 2.91) kg/m2, and that of Chinese girls was (20.05 ± 2.52) kg/m2, and the difference was statistically significant (t-value of 61.052, P < 0.001). In terms of physical fitness, the results of Chinese university students’ vital capacity, sit and reach, pull-up, standing long jump, 50 m dash, 1000 m run were (4000.47 ± 722.65) ml, (13.12 ± 6.01) cm, (7.34 ± 4.74) times, (221.77 ± 21.66)cm, (7.69 ± 0.74)s, (293.22 ± 57.42)s. The results of vital capacity, sit and reach, sit-up, standing long jump, 50 m dash, and 800 m run evaluated in Chinese university girls were (2685.88 ± 543.54)ml, (15.51 ± 5.51)cm, (34.21 ± 6.25)times, (166.51 ± 18.27)cm, (9.38 ± 1.12)s, (278.04 ± 41.98)s. Overall, the level of physical fitness of university boys was higher than that of girls.

Table 2 Basic characteristics of Chinese University Student participants
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Table 3 shows the correlation analysis of various indicators of physical fitness among Chinese university student participants. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that the correlation between the BMI of 19–22 years old university students and various physical fitness indicators vital capacity, sit and reach, pull-up(boys), sit-up(girls), standing long jump, 50 m dash, 1000 m run(boys), 800 m run(girls) was significant (P<0.01), and the correlation coefficients for a run(girls) were significant, with R-values ranging from 0.076 to 0.358 (P < 0.01). Except for the non-significant correlation between 50 m dash and 1000/800 m run for Chinese university students, there were also significant correlations between different physical fitness indices for university students, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.053 to 0.710.

Table 3 Correlation analysis (r-value) of various indicators of physical fitness among Chinese university participants
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Table 4 shows the distribution of different BMI classes among Chinese university student participants. The results showed that the overall percentage of Chinese university students who were Emaciated, Normal, Overweight, and Obesity was 17.8%, 65.3%, 14.9%, and 2.0%, respectively. The proportions of Chinese university boys who are emaciated, normal, overweight, and obese are 9.6%, 66.1%, 21.4%, and 2.9% respectively. For girl university students, the proportions of emaciated, normal, overweight, and obese were 28.2%, 64.3%, 6.6%, and 0.9% respectively. The proportion of Chinese university students who were emaciated was higher among girls than among boys, and the difference was statistically significant (X2 value of 1725.297, P < 0.001). However, the proportion of overweight and obesity was higher for boys than for girls, and the difference was also statistically significant (X2 values were 1252.556 and 156.966, respectively, P < 0.001).

Table 4 Distribution of Chinese university student participants by BMI class (%)
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Table 5 shows the comparisons of physical fitness indicators among participants with different BMI levels in Chinese university boys students. In terms of vital capacity, the comparison between different BMI groups was significant across multiple groups, with effect values ranging from 0.2 to 0.6. For sit and reach, the effect size ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 when comparing different BMI groups. For pull-up/Situp, the effect size ranged from 0.2 to 0.9 across BMI groups. For the standing long jump, effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 across BMI groups. For the 50 m dash, effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 across BMI groups. For the 1000/800 m run, effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 across BMI groups.

Table 6 shows the comparison of physical fitness indicators among participants with different BMI levels among Chinese university girls. In terms of vital capacity, comparisons between different BMI groups were significant across multiple groups, with effect values ranging from 0.2 to 0.7. For sit and reach, effect values ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 when comparing between different BMI groups. For pull-up/Situp, the effect size ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 across BMI groups. For the standing long jump, effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 0.9 across BMI groups. For the 50 m dash, effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 across BMI groups. For the 1000/800 m run, effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 across BMI groups.

Table 5 Comparison of physical fitness indicators among Chinese university students with different BMI levels ( boys)
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Table 6 Comparison of physical fitness indicators among Chinese university students with different BMI levels ( girls)
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Fig. 2
figure 2

Changes in physical fitness indicators of participants with different BMI levels in Chinese university students

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Fig. 3
figure 3

Curvilinear regression analysis of BMI and physical fitness program among Chinese university students

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Figure 2 shows the trends of physical fitness indicators of Chinese university students with different BMI levels. Overall, it can be seen that the physical fitness levels of university students in the Obesity group were lower than those of the Normal group.

Figure 3 shows the regression analysis of Chinese university students’ BMI and physical fitness indicators. Overall, it can be seen that the relationship between BMI and the levels of vital capacity, sit and reach, pull-up(boys), sit-up(girls), and standing long jump showed an “inverted U-shaped” curve. The association between BMI and the levels of 50 m dash, 1000 m run(boys), and 800 m run(girls) showed a “U-shape” curve. Overall, the effect of changes in BMI on physical fitness levels was more pronounced in boys than in girls.

Discussion

The results of this study showed that the percentages of emaciated, normal, overweight, and obesity among Chinese university students were 17.8%, 65.3%, 14.9%, and 2.0%, respectively. This result is relatively low compared to the percentage of obese university students in foreign countries (3-5%) [31, 32]. The reason is related to the fact that China is a developing country with a lower level of economic development compared to developed countries in the West, which is an important reason why the obesity rate is lower than that in Europe and the United States [33]. The results of this study also confirmed that the percentage of overweight and obesity was significantly higher among boys than girls in Chinese university students. This result is consistent with the findings of several studies [34, 35]. The reasons that lead to the proportion of university boys being overweight and obesity being higher than that of girls are manifold. First of all, university boys compared with girls, girls pay more attention to their external physical beauty, in terms of diet and exercise, pay more attention to their dietary behavior control, and at the same time pay attention to physical exercise, period to maintain a normal weight range [36]. Secondly, for university boys compared with girls, boys like video games, resulting in sleep deprivation and static behavior time is longer, is also leads to boys overweight obesity ratio is higher than the important reasons for girls [37]. The study confirms that sleep deprivation is significantly higher among university boys than girls and that sleep deprivation is one of the risk factors for obesity, which is consistent with the findings of the present study [38, 39]. In addition, university boys have relatively heavier dietary tastes in their lives, and their dietary intake is more compared with that of girls, which may also be an important reason for the higher rate of obesity among university boys. A survey of university students shows that the frequency of boys using takeaways is higher than that of girls, and most of the takeaways are mainly high in salt, oil, and fat, so the percentage of obesity among university boys is higher than that of girls [40].

The results of this study show that there is a significant correlation between BMI and several physical fitness indicators of university students. It shows that there is a strong correlation between BMI and various physical fitness indicators of university students. Past studies have shown significant correlations between university students’ BMI and indicators of muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness [41]. Consistent with the findings of this study. The results of this study also showed that the BMI of Chinese university students showed an inverted U-shaped relationship with the levels of vital capacity, sit and reach, pull-up(boys), sit-up(girls), and standing long jump. University students’ BMI and 50 m dash, 1000 m run(boys), and 800 m run(girls) levels show a “U-shaped” curve relationship. This shows that lower or higher BMI of university students may hurt their physical fitness level. The reasons for this result may be due to the following: first, university students with high BMI tend to be those who are overweight or obese, and the occurrence of overweight or obesity leads to heavier body weight, which requires them to overcome greater body weight resistance when performing events such as the standing long jump and endurance running, which leads to lower physical fitness scores [42]. Secondly, university students with lower BMI tend to have lower muscle mass, and lower muscle mass leads to a decrease in related physical fitness levels, such as pull-ups (boys), sit-ups (girls), and standing long jump, which reflect the muscle strength of the upper and lower limbs. Related studies have confirmed that compared with university students with normal BMI, university students with lower BMI have lower muscle strength and level, which is consistent with the findings of the present study [43, 44]. However, the findings of the association between BMI and physical fitness indicators are not entirely consistent. Past studies have shown that university students with a BMI in the overweight range have the best performance in grip strength and standing long jump, which reflect muscular strength because students with a BMI in the overweight range have greater neuromuscular strength, which leads to a higher level of physical fitness [45].

The association between BMI and physical fitness also varies somewhat between genders. The results of the present study showed that the effect of change in BMI on the level of physical fitness was more pronounced in boys as compared to girls. Past studies have also shown that the effect of BMI on physical fitness indicators was more pronounced in boys compared to girls [30]. However, the results are not entirely consistent. Past research has confirmed that the effects of BMI on muscular strength are more consistent between boys and girls in university, and conversely, the effects of BMI on cardiorespiratory fitness are more pronounced in boys compared with girls [46]. This result also strongly suggests that the effect of BMI on physical fitness indicators may vary somewhat depending on the population investigated in the study [47]. This result also suggests that future research on the association between BMI and various physical fitness should be conducted for students in different regions to target the improvement of university students’ physical fitness levels.

This study has certain strengths and limitations. Strengths: First, this study assessed BMI and physical fitness indicators on 29,371 university students aged 19–22 years from six geographic regions in China, which is a large and representative sample size. Second, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the association between BMI and various physical fitness programs for Chinese university students, and it is a more comprehensive study on physical fitness programs. However, this study also has some limitations. First, the present study is a cross-sectional study, which can only analyze the existence of associations between BMI and physical fitness indicators, but cannot understand the existence of causal associations between them. In the future, prospective cohort studies should be conducted to analyze the causal relationship between BMI and physical fitness indicators. Second, this study only analyzed the association between BMI and physical fitness indicators, and the results were relatively homogeneous. In the future, the waist circumference indicator, which reflects abdominal obesity, should be included to better analyze the association between body composition and physical fitness. Third, this study did not include the investigation of dietary behaviors and lifestyle habits that affect university students’ BMI. The above influencing factors should be included in the future to better analyze the correlation that exists between BMI and physical fitness indicators.

Conclusions

The association between BMI and physical fitness indicators in Chinese university students is “U-shaped” or “inverted U-shaped”, with both lower and higher BMI leading to lower levels of physical fitness. Both lower and higher BMIs resulted in lower levels of physical fitness, and the effect of BMI on physical fitness was more pronounced in boys than in girls. The results of this study provide a reference for better promoting the physical fitness level of university students in the future, and we should pay special attention to the control of boys students’ BMI, to prevent the negative effects of too low or too high BMI on physical fitness. The following aspects should be done in the future to promote college students’ BMI in the normal range. Firstly, college students should keep exercising more than three times a week to maintain a good body shape. Secondly, they should pay attention to the control of dietary behavior and maintain a regular life rhythm to ensure that the BMI of college students is in the normal range, which is conducive to the maintenance of a high level of physical fitness indicators.

Data availability

To protect the privacy of participants, the questionnaire data will not be disclosed to the public. If necessary, you can contact the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to all participants for their support and assistance with our research.

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No project funding for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Hanfeng Wu

  2. School of Physical Education and Sport Science, Fujian Normal University, Fujian fuzhou, 350117, China

    Peiyi Lin & Guanghao Zeng

  3. School of Physical Education, Gannan Normal University. China, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China

    Feiyue Chen

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Contributions

Conceptualization, Hanfeng Wu， Peiyi Lin; Data curation, Hanfeng Wu， Peiyi Lin; Formal analysis, Feiyue Chen; Funding acquisition, Feiyue Chen; Investigation, Hanfeng Wu， Peiyi Lin; Methodology, Feiyue Chen; Project administration, Feiyue Chen; Resources, Guanghao Zeng; Software, Hanfeng Wu， Peiyi Lin; Supervision, Feiyue Chen; Validation, Hanfeng Wu， Peiyi Lin; Visualization, Hanfeng Wu， Peiyi Lin; Writing—original draft, Hanfeng Wu， Peiyi Lin， Guanghao Zeng， Feiyue Chen; Writing—review & editing, Hanfeng Wu，Peiyi Lin，Guanghao Zeng，Feiyue Chen; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hanfeng Wu.

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Institutional review board statement

This study was conducted by the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Human Ethics Committee of Gannan Normal University (202306765).

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Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

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Wu, H., Lin, P., Zeng, G. et al. Associations between body mass index and physical fitness indicators among Chinese university students: a multicenter cross-sectional study. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 16, 234 (2024). https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s13102-024-01024-y

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Keywords

BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation

ISSN: 2052-1847

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