{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T16:41:25Z","timestamp":1792514485635,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]],"date-time":"2026-08-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787097600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>University represents a critical developmental stage during which physical fitness may undergo substantial changes. However, evidence regarding long-term physical fitness trajectories and cohort differences among university students remains limited, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study used annual physical fitness surveillance data collected from 2013 to 2025. Partial follow-up data from the 2012 enrollment cohort were additionally included to reconstruct developmental trajectories across university years using an accelerated longitudinal design. A total of 50,158 students contributing 143,292 observations were included. Interrupted time-series analyses were conducted to assess temporal changes in physical fitness before and after 2020. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine developmental trajectories and compare enrollment cohorts between 2012\u20132019 and 2020\u20132025. Additional BMI-stratified analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity in trajectory patterns.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Most physical fitness indicators showed continuous improvement during 2013\u20132019, whereas these improvements generally became attenuated after 2020. Developmental trajectories differed significantly between enrollment cohorts. Compared with the pre-2020 (2012\u20132019) cohorts, the post-2020 (2020\u20132025) cohorts generally demonstrated higher baseline levels for several indicators but weaker developmental trajectories across academic grades. BMI-stratified analyses further revealed substantial heterogeneity in developmental trajectories across BMI groups, particularly for endurance- and strength-related indicators.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Physical fitness among university students showed substantial temporal changes between 2013 and 2025. Although the post-2020 cohorts demonstrated relatively higher baseline performance for several indicators, their subsequent developmental trajectories across university years were generally weaker than those of the pre-2020 cohorts. These findings highlight the importance of continuous physical fitness monitoring and targeted health promotion strategies tailored to different physical fitness components and BMI groups.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1896880","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]],"date-time":"2026-08-19T05:44:44Z","timestamp":1787118284000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Temporal trends and developmental trajectories of physical fitness among university students: a 13-year accelerated longitudinal study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Jia-Yu","family":"Lu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, Anhui, 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