Frontiers in Public Health
Longitudinal trajectories of physical fitness in Chinese college students: a multi-group latent growth curve analysis
Background Physical fitness is widely regarded as an important indicator of overall health and functional capacity. However, cross-sectional studies consistently report declining fitness levels and rising overweight/obesity among college students. Longitudinal research tracking individual developmental trajectories remains scarce, and the “fat but fit paradox” is underexplored in this population. This study aimed to model 4-year trajectories of physical fitness indicators (PFI) across body mass index (BMI) categori …