Physical activity among Chinese school-aged children: National prevalence estimates from the 2016 Physical Activity and Fitness in China—The Youth Study

PURPOSE: This study was to present national estimates of participating in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and adherence to the recommendations of 60 min/day of MVPA among Chinese school-aged children and to assess demographic differences in MVPA. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses of data from the 2016 Physical Activity and Fitness in China-The Youth Study. Participants were 90,712 primary, junior middle, and junior high school children (boy: 47%; girl: 53%), recruited from 1204 rural and urban schools across 32 administrative provinces and regions in the Mainland of China. Main outcomes were (a) average MVPA minutes per day in the previous 7 days by self-reports and (b) percentage meeting MVPA recommendations. RESULTS: = 0.07), but urban boys were found to be more likely to meet recommendations compared with rural boys (aOR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.06-1.19). CONCLUSION: Overall, the average MVPA minutes per day among Chinese school-aged children is low, and less than one-third of them meet MVPA recommendations. These results were most evident among junior middle and junior high school children and those living rural areas.