# The profound impact of COVID-19 on college students’ physical fitness

## TL;DR

This study shows that the COVID-19 pandemic led to weight gain and reduced physical fitness among medical college students over three years.

## Contribution

The study provides longitudinal evidence of the pandemic's impact on college students' physical fitness, focusing on medical students.

## Key findings

- Overweight/obese prevalence among students increased from 8.0% in 2019 to 10.1% in 2021.
- Endurance running performance declined significantly in 2021 compared to previous years.
- Male and female students showed reduced performance in standing long jump, 50-m dash, and 1,000/800 m run.

## Abstract

This study expands existing research by examining longitudinal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical college students’ physical fitness.

A medical college in Wenzhou, was selected to examine the changes in physical fitness indicators among students from 2019 to 2021.

While most students maintained normal weight status (85.2%), overweight/obese prevalence increased significantly (8.0% in 2019, 8.9% in 2020, and 10.1% in 2021). Among male students, 67.0% were classified within the passing range, while the majority of female students (55.0%) fell within the “good” grade category. In 2021, a significant decline was observed in the standing long jump, 50-m dash, and 1,000/800 m run (p < 0.05) across both genders.

The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly contributed to increased weight gain among college students and a decline in their endurance running performance.