Feature recess-time sports activities as a school-based intervention to improve fitness in rural Chinese youth

Abstract

Background China’s national school health policies face persistent implementation gaps, particularly in rural high schools prioritizing Gaokao. National surveys (2010–2019) documented alarming fitness declines: 50-m sprint speeds decreased (+0.3s boys; + 0.4s girls), pull-ups/sit-ups fell 29%/20%, and standing jumps shortened 6–7 cm. Methods A 16-week cluster quasi-experiment assigned intact rural high school classes (N = 98; age = 16.35 ± 0.48years) to: • Experimental (n = 50): Feature Recess-Time Sports Activities (FRTSA; 5x30-min/week). • Control (n = 48): Standard supervised running. Blinded assessors conducted the National Student Physical Health Standard tests. Results FRTSA elicited significant improvements versus control: • Speed: 50-m sprint ( p < 0.001, η 2  = 0.18, d  = 0.75). • Explosive Power: Standing jump ( p  = 0.022, η 2  = 0.05, d  = 0.41). • Flexibility: Sit-and-reach ( p  < 0.001, η 2  = 0.12, d  = 0.60). • Strength: Male pull-ups ( p  = 0.030, d = 0.41); female sit-ups ( p = 0.029, d = 0.45 ). No endurance benefits emerged (1000m/800m: all p  > 0.05, d  ≤ 0.18). Conclusion FRTSA is effective in enhancing speed, explosive power, flexibility, and strength, supporting policy integration of structured activity programs in rural schools.