Dual trends in physical fitness and suspected myopia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-school study of children aged 6-11 years in rural Zhejiang, China.

Introduction: Social distancing and reduced physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic may have adversely affected children's physical fitness and visual health. This study compared physical fitness indicators and the prevalence of suspected myopia among Chinese children aged 6-11 years in 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2020 (during the pandemic) using cross-sectional school screening data. Methods: Data were collected in 2019 ( Results: During the pandemic period, BMI increased among children aged 6-8 years. Flexibility declined among 6-year-olds and girls aged 7 years. Rope-jumping performance improved in most age groups, except for boys aged 6 and 10 years, while no statistically significant changes were observed in 50 m sprint performance across age groups. The prevalence of suspected myopia increased significantly in 2020 compared with 2019, with age- and sex-specific differences, including higher risks among girls aged 7 and 11 years and boys aged 10 years. Discussion: These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions-particularly for younger children-to mitigate the potential impacts of the pandemic on weight management, physical fitness, and visual health, considering age- and sex-specific differences.