Background: In the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of college students’ physical exercise, the detection rate of negative emotions, and their correlation should attract extensive attention. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the correlation between college students’ physical exercise and negative emotions. Methods: Data were collected via a web-based cross-sectional survey. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 3118 college students from five universities in Shanghai in March 2022. In addition to sociodemographic information, measures included Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). The chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to analyze the differences and test the relative risk of negative emotions caused by different amounts of physical exercise. Results: Most students (66.1%) performed a small amount of physical exercise. Male students’ physical-exercise level was higher than female students’, and the detection rate of negative emotions was lower than that of female students. Moderate and low physical-exercise levels were associated with a higher risk of depression (beta of 0.289 and 0.345, respectively) and anxiety (beta of 0.301 and 0.418) symptoms than high physical-exercise level. Conclusions: The anxiety symptoms of college students were significant during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The physical-exercise behavior of college students was closely related to negative emotions, and the weakening of physical-exercise behavior was one of the factors that induced negative emotions in college students.

Background: Evidence shows that physical exercise promotes preschoolers’ fundamental movement skills (FMSs) and physical fitness (PF). However, studies that assess the effectiveness of different types of physical exercise interventions to improve FMSs and PF in preschool children remain scarce. To explore and compare the effectiveness of different physical exercise on FMSs and PF, interventions comprising ball games (BGs), rhythm activities (RAs), basic movements (BMs), and a combination of all related activities (multiple activities, MAs) will be conducted among preschoolers. Methods: A single-blind, five-arm, cluster-randomized trial will be conducted in kindergarten in Shanghai, China. In total, 300 healthy preschoolers, aged 4 to 5 years, will be randomized to four intervention groups (BG, RA, BM, or MA) and one control group (unorganized physical activities). Four intervention groups will receive three 30-min lessons weekly for 16 weeks. At the baseline, the end of the 16-week intervention, and the 6-month follow-up after the end of the intervention, the primary outcomes (FMSs and PF) and physical activity (PA), and sociodemographic and anthropometric data will be assessed. Discussion: This study will provide vital information regarding the effect of different physical exercise interventions on preschool children’s FMSs and PF, PA, and the potential interactions between these domains. The most effective intervention strategy can be generalized to kindergarten and other preschool educational institutions in practice to promote preschoolers’ development of FMSs and PF. Conclusions: This study protocol aims to provide a method to solve the problem of “how to arrange physical exercise and which kind of physical exercise program can promote FMS and PF better in preschool children”.

Background: Preschool children are in a period of rapid physical and psychological development, and improving their level of physical fitness is important for their health. To better develop the physical fitness of preschool children, it is very important to understand the behavioral attributes that promote the physical fitness of preschool children. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of and the differences between different physical exercise programs in improving preschool children’s physical fitness. Methods: A total of 309 preschool children aged 4–5 years were recruited from 5 kindergartens to participate in the experiment. They were cluster-randomly allocated into five groups: basic movements (BM) group, rhythm activities (RA) group, ball games (BG) group, multiple activities (MA) group, and control (CG) group. The intervention groups received designed physical exercise programs with a duration of 30 min 3 times per week for 16 weeks. The CG group received unorganized physical activity (PA) with no interventions. The physical fitness of preschool children was measured using the PREFIT battery before and after the interventions. One-way analysis of variance, a nonparametric test; generalized linear models (GLM); and generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to examine differences during the pre-experimental stage among groups and to assess the differential effects of the intervention conditions on all outcome indicators. The intervention condition models were adjusted for potential confounders (baseline test results, age, gender, height, weight, and body mass index) explaining the main outcome variance. Results: The final sample consisted of 253 participants (girls 46.3%) with an average age of 4.55 ± 0.28 years: the BG group (n = 55), the RA group (n = 52), the BM group (n = 45), the MA group (n = 44), and the CG group (n = 57). The results of the generalized linear mixed model and generalized linear model analyses indicated significant differences for all physical fitness tests between groups, except for the 20 m shuttle run test and the sit-and-reach test after the interventions. Grip strength was significantly higher in the BG and MA groups than in the BM group. The scores for standing long jump were significantly higher in the MA group than in the other groups. The scores for the 10 m shuttle run test were significantly lower in the BG and MA groups than in the CG, BM, and RA groups. The scores for skip jump were significantly lower in the BG and MA groups than in the RA group. The scores for balance beam were significantly lower in the BG and MA groups than in the RA group and significantly lower in the BG group than in the BM group. The scores for standing on one foot were significantly higher in the BG and MA groups than in the CG and RA groups and significantly higher in the BM group than in the CG group. Conclusions: Physical exercise programs designed for preschool physical education have positive effects on the physical fitness of preschool children. Compared with the exercise programs with a single project and action form, the comprehensive exercise programs with multiple action forms can better improve the physical fitness of preschool children.

Objective: Negative moods in college students have caused frequent extreme behaviors. This study analyzed the current status and correlation between physical activity and negative moods in college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used in the present research. Data on college students’ physical activity and negative moods were collected using the Sports Questionnaire Star software. The questionnaires were administered to college students in five colleges and universities in Henan and Jiangsu Provinces, China, and a total of 3711 correctly completed questionnaires were returned. Data on sociological and demographic information, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were collected. The research was conducted in December 2021. Results: The low-intensity physical activity rate among college students was 55.56%, while depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were detected in 35.14%, 65.29%, and 10.99%of the college students, respectively. Depression (K = 35.58, p < 0.001) and anxiety (K = 15.56, p < 0.001) rates were significantly different among the different physical activity intensity groups. The proportion of students who perform high-intensity physical activities was lower than those who perform low- and moderate-intensity physical activities. Conclusion: Low physical activity and high anxiety are evident among college students, and prolonged moderate-to-low-intensity physical activity (including static behavior) induces depression and anxiety. In the future, further studies can be conducted on improving the physical activity intensity of college students, improving the mental health monitoring and intervention systems of college students, and exploring the dose–effect relationship between physical activity and negative moods.