Objectives: This study aims to examine the geographical variation in physical fitness levels among Chinese children and adolescents in Shaanxi province. Methods: A total of 19,175 children from Shaanxi province with physical fitness data in 2019, participated in the study. Physical fitness was assessed using body mass index, force vital capacity, 50 m sprint, sit and reach, 1 min rope skipping, sit-ups, 50 m × 8 round-trip running, standing long jump, pull-ups, 800 m, and 1000 m running, and their standardized scores were aggregated to form a summary score. The total score is used to classify the physical fitness levels into four grades (excellence to failure). Results: The Guanzhong (GZ) region scored the highest, while Northern Shaanxi (NS) scored the lowest. The excellence rate for physical fitness was highest in GZ and lowest in NS, while the failure rate was highest in NS and lowest in GZ. Notably, children and adolescents in NS demonstrated the best endurance levels despite their overall lower fitness scores. The comprehensive physical fitness among Chinese children and adolescents in Shaanxi province showed significant regional disparities. GZ region exhibited the highest physical fitness levels, while Northern Shaanxi had the lowest. Conclusions: Region-specific interventions and targeted health policies are essential to address these disparities and improve the overall physical health status of children and adolescents in Shaanxi province.

Objectives: Air quality in China has become an increasing concern, its association with physical fitness remains unclear. This study represents one of the largest nationwide investigations of this association, leveraging data from 174,246 students aged 7–22 years across 30 provinces. Methods: Annual concentrations of PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃, and the Air Quality Index (AQI) were obtained from the Tracking of Atmospheric Pollution in China dataset. Physical fitness was evaluated through a comprehensive set of field-based tests covering anthropometric, cardiopulmonary, flexibility, muscular strength, and endurance. Associations were examined using generalized linear models with progressive adjustments: Model 1 controlled for demographic factors (age, sex, residence, province), Model 2 additionally accounted for physical activity and parental factors, and Model 3 further incorporated temperature and humidity. Results: After adjusting for covariates, each 1 μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ was associated with decreases in physical fitness scores of 0.18 [95% CI: −0.22, −0.14] and 0.12 [−0.16, −0.08] points, respectively. SO₂, O₃, and CO showed similar negative associations, with reductions of 0.42 [−0.47, −0.38], 0.21 [−0.25, −0.16], and 0.16 [−0.20, −0.11] points, respectively. In contrast, NO₂ exhibited a positive association, with an increase of 0.29 [0.25, 0.33] points per 1 μg/m³. AQI was also inversely related to fitness, decreasing scores by 0.17 [−0.21, −0.13] points per 1-unit increase. Conclusions: Ambient air pollution is adversely associated with physical fitness among Chinese children, adolescents, and young adults, highlighting the importance of air quality improvement strategies for youth health. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to strengthen causal inference.

Background: Cardiometabolic risk factors emerging during childhood and adolescence may persist into adulthood and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Although physical activity improves cardiometabolic health, maintaining regular participation remains challenging. Active video games (AVG), which combine physical activity with video game enjoyment, may provide an engaging approach to promote physical activity participation. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effects of AVG on cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents and to explore potential moderators of these effects. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched from database inception to July 2026. Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating AVG in children and adolescents aged 4‐18 years were included, with comparisons against no intervention, sedentary video games, or regular physical activity. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to estimate pooled effects. Subgroup analyses explored potential moderators. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool (RoB 2; Cochrane), sensitivity analyses examined robustness, and small-study effects were evaluated when feasible. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Results: A total of 14 RCTs involving 942 children and adolescents were included. AVG were associated with a small but significant reduction in BMI (Hedges g =−0.23, 95% CI −0.35 to −0.10; 95% prediction interval [PI] −0.43 to −0.01; P =.002). SBP (Hedges g =−0.18, 95% CI −0.36 to −0.001; 95% PI −0.43 to 0.07; P =.0497) showed a small statistically significant reduction, although the 95% PI crossed the null. No significant effects were observed for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (Hedges g =−0.11, 95% CI −0.86 to 0.63; 95% PI −2.09 to 1.75; P =.59), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (Hedges g =0.05; 95% CI −0.21 to 0.31; 95% PI −0.54 to 0.57; P =.65), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (Hedges g =−0.26, 95% CI −0.64 to 0.13; 95% PI −1.18 to 0.69; P =.15), total cholesterol (TC) (Hedges g =−0.96, 95% CI −3.79 to 1.88; 95% PI −5.71 to 3.86; P =.37), triglycerides (Hedges g =−0.20, 95% CI −0.70 to 0.31; 95% PI −1.41 to 0.99; P =.38), heart rate (HR) (Hedges g =−0.14, 95% CI −1.74 to 1.46; 95% PI −4.23 to 5.38; P =.47), or glucose (Hedges g =−0.17, 95% CI −0.37 to 0.02; 95% PI −0.42 to 0.07; P =.07) following AVG. No significant BMI subgroup differences were observed by gender, intervention type, or nutritional status. Conclusions: This review extends previous evidence by providing an updated RCT-only evaluation of a broader pediatric population and a wider range of cardiometabolic outcomes. AVG were associated with small reductions in BMI and systolic blood pressure (SBP), although evidence for other cardiometabolic outcomes remains uncertain. By clarifying both potential benefits and remaining evidence gaps, this review provides a broader basis for future research and intervention development. AVG may serve as an engaging adjunct to support physical activity participation among children and adolescents.

Yan, J, García-Ramos, A, Courel-Ibáñez, J, Chen, W, Rui, J, Wang, L, Chen, Z, Sun, Y, and Zhu, W. Comparing neuromuscular tests to discriminate striking performance in elite mixed martial arts athletes. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2026—General upper-body strength and power tests may have limited value for profiling striking-specific performance because they do not replicate the standing, rotation-assisted kinetic chain of punching. We examined whether a standing landmine punch throw (LPT) could better discriminate striking performance in elite mixed martial arts athletes than conventional ballistic and strength tests. Thirty-six elite male athletes (age: 20.0 ± 1.9 years, height: 1.72 ± 0.07 m, body mass: 68.3 ± 8.5 kg) participated in this cross-sectional study and were stratified into higher-impact, middle-impact, and lower-impact groups according to tertiles of relative striking force. Four assessments were evaluated: clap push-up, isometric bench press, bench press throw (BPT), and LPT. Load-velocity profiles were modeled for the ballistic exercises to derive theoretical maximal force ( L ₀ ), theoretical maximal velocity ( v ₀ ), and the area under the load-velocity relationship line (A _line ). Relative impact force was significantly correlated with LPT A _line ( r = 0.64), BPT A _line ( r = 0.44), BPT L ₀ ( r = 0.42), LPT L ₀ ( r = 0.40), isometric peak force ( r = 0.39), and isometric 0–250-millisecond impulse ( r = 0.35) and LPT v ₀ ( r = 0.33) ( p ≤ 0.05). However, only LPT A _line showed a significant main effect across the 3 performance tertiles. Exploratory receiver operating characteristic analysis identified a preliminary cutoff of ≤2.12 W·kg ⁻¹ for LPT A _line to classify lower-impact strikers (AUC = 0.851). These findings indicate that although some general neuromuscular variables were associated with relative striking force, the LPT load-velocity profile showed the greatest discriminative validity, likely because of its greater task specificity. Practitioners may therefore consider LPT profiling to complement traditional upper-body testing when evaluating striking-specific capability in elite fighters.

Purpose : This study investigated whether adding blood flow restriction at graded arterial occlusion pressures (AOPs) during plyometric jumps can enhance and prolong postactivation performance enhancement. Methods : Twenty-one resistance-trained men completed 40 maximal plyometric jumps under 4 conditions: jumps alone or combined with blood flow restriction at 50%, 60%, or 70% AOP. Countermovement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) height were assessed at baseline and at 15 seconds, 4, 8, and 12 minutes postexercise. Results : Significant condition × time interactions were observed for both CMJ height ( P = .01, ) and SJ height ( P < .001, ). The 70% AOP condition produced significant performance improvements across all time points ( P < .01, g = 0.36–0.53). At 50% and 60% AOP, performance improved at 15 seconds and 4 minutes ( P < .01, g = 0.19–0.40), with CMJ effects persisting to 8 minutes but disappearing by 12 minutes in both jumps. The control condition showed a transient CMJ improvement at 15 seconds ( P = .046, g = 0.20) but no SJ change. Compared with other conditions, 70% AOP outperformed control at 4 and 12 minutes for CMJ and at 12 minutes for SJ, and exceeded 50% AOP at 15 seconds in both tests. Conclusion : Plyometric jumps combined with 70% AOP produced a greater and more sustained postactivation performance enhancement response than jumps alone, suggesting that blood flow restriction may serve as a potential adjunct to enhance the acute effects of plyometric conditioning activities.