Background The results of older adult data from China's five National Physical Fitness Monitoring Reports are summarized. This study examines the preliminary analysis of changes in the physical fitness of older adults in China between 2000 and 2020. The objective is to conduct evidence-based research on the psychological characteristics/health characteristics of ageing in China. Methods Data from older adults in China's five National Physical Fitness Monitoring Reports were collected, organized, and summarized. The data for older adults includes the composite index, attainment rate, test indicators, overweight indicators, and obesity indicators. Fuzzy qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to calculate the data for older adults. The compliance rate was set as the outcome variable (dependent variable). Composite index, attainment rate, test indicators, overweight indicators, and obesity indicators were used as conditional variables (independent variables). A comparative analysis was conducted on the characteristics of physical fitness changes in older adults (high-frequency elements and configuration). Results In this study, the consistency threshold is set to 0.8, the PRI threshold is set to 0.75, and the frequency threshold is set to 1. The four paths (1 mixed older adult, 1 male older adult, and 2 female older adults) detected have good consistency, coverage, and robustness. Conclusion The older adult's attainment rate is highly correlated with test indicators, overweight indicators, and obesity indicators, which is consistent with the facts. The data exposed the psychological characteristics (cognitive ability and self-determination) of older adults.
Fu et al. (2026) studied this question.