Physical fitness measures overall physical health. It is the ability of the body to work effectively and stay healthy during leisure and emergencies. Given the progressive integration of 2–3-year-olds into preschool, physical fitness testing of these children has become increasingly important. We aimed to develop and test the reliability of an appropriate field test method for physical fitness in 2–3-year-olds children. One hundred and three children (44 boys and 59 girls) volunteered for this study. Their height and weight were tested, and the same tester conducted the test twice for handgrip strength, 3 m balance walking, stair climbing, 5 m run, and kicking a ball at one-minute intervals. Pearson correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used for reliability testing. The reliability of this field test method for physical fitness was high in the repetitive tests of Chinese 2–3-year-olds for the four items of handgrip strength, 3 m balance walking, stair climbing and 5 m run, and the reliability was moderate for the kicking the ball item. This study indicates that these field-based physical fitness test methods have good reliability and are simple, feasible, safe, and easy to be accepted and understood by 2–3-year-old children; thus, it may be used as a reference for professionals in China and abroad.

PURPOSE:Chronic neuropathic pain(CNP) is clinically frequently accompanied by psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety and depression. It is well established that some forms of physical activity, such as tai chi and yoga, can alleviate both physical and mental pain. This study was to investigate whether low-intensity treadmill exercise improves anxiety-like behaviors induced by neuropathic pain. METHODS: Neuropathic pain was induced by sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI). We have previously verified that mice exhibit obvious anxiety-like behaviors 5 weeks after CCI surgery. The CCI mice were randomly divided into exercise groups and sedentary groups (CCI, CCI+E), and the sham mice as control. One week after CCI surgery, the CCI+E group was subjected to low-intensity aerobic exercise training on a treadmill for 4 weeks. Paw withdrawal frequency (PWF) by Von-Frey filaments (0.4 g) was used to assess mechanical allodynia. The elevated plus-maze test and the open field test were used to monitor anxiety-like behaviors. The experimental protocols were approved by the ethical committee of Zhengzhou University, China. RESULTS: 1. The CCI group had higher PWF to mechanical stimulation (sham: 26.67%±3.33%, CCI:46.67%±3.74%, P<0.01). Significant lower PWF was observed in the CCI+E group (30.00%±4.08%, P <0.05), which indicated that low-intensity exercise improved pain-like behavior. 2. Compared to the sham group, a significant lower percentage of time spent in the open arms was observed in the CCI group (sham: 1.76%±0.51%, CCI: 0.31%±0.20%, P<0.05). The CCI+E group spent a longer time in the open arms (1.73%±0.70, P <0.05). In the open field test, the percent time in central zones of the CCI group was significantly lower compared to the sham group (sham: 4.56%±1.26%, CCI: 2.20%±0.78%, P<0.05). Exercise attenuated the phenomena (CCI+E: 4.44%+0.55%, P <0.05). CONCLUSION: Low-intensity treadmill exercise could alleviate anxiety-like behaviors in mice with chronic neuropathic pain.

METHODS: NCAA Division I male American football players (N=112) participated in this study. Participants performed a double-leg countermovement jump (DLCMJ) on dual force plates and 2D ground reaction force data were recorded at 1000Hz. Participants were designated as having a between-limb asymmetry if the calculated asymmetry in concentric impulse measured from their force-time trace was one standard deviation above all participant scores. Long-term injury history, short-term injury history and player position were also recorded. Injury surveillance took place over the course of two weeks during the team's pre-season training camp. The definition of injury for this study was any musculoskeletal ailment that required attention from the sports medicine staff. Odds-ratio (OR), relative-risk (RR), and 90% confidence intervals were reported from a contingency table analysis. Furthermore, a multivariate logistic regression model was created accessing DLCMJ asymmetry while controlling for injury history and player position. RESULTS: Twelve out of 112 players were designated as having a double-leg asymmetry. Fourteen lower-extremity injuries were recorded during training camp with four of these injuries being associated with a double-leg asymmetry. Contingency table analysis showed that DLCMJ asymmetry was associated with a 4.3 greater likelihood of injury (OR = 4.3 (90% CI = 1.9 -7.2), RR = 3.2 (90% CI = 1.5 -6.6). The logistic regression models showed that an asymmetry designation presented a 6.4 times greater likelihood of injury (OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 1.9 -22.0, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Participants who presented an asymmetry during the DLCMJ had an increased risk of injury compared to athletes who did not have an asymmetry. The results of this study provide insight to practitioners on the potential of screening protocols to identify athletes at risk for injury based on between-limb force production asymmetries. Practitioners could then provide an exercise intervention to screened individuals to correct these asymmetries. Future research may then be conducted to identify if an exercise intervention reduces injury risk within this population.