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Comparative Study
. 2025 May 28;15(1):18723.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-03131-3.

Sex comparison of the association between weight-adjusted waist index and physical fitness index: a cross-sectional survey of adolescents in Xinjiang, China

Pengwei Sun  1   2 , Feng Zhang  3 , Cunjian Bi  4 , Xiaojian Yin  5   6 , Yaru Guo  1 , Jun Hong  1 , Yanyan Hu  1 , He Liu  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Sex comparison of the association between weight-adjusted waist index and physical fitness index: a cross-sectional survey of adolescents in Xinjiang, China

Pengwei Sun et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The low level of physical fitness among Chinese adolescents has a negative impact on schooling and health. The weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) has attracted much attention as a novel indicator for assessing body composition. However, little research has been conducted on the association between WWI and the physical fitness index (PFI) among adolescents in the Xinjiang region of western China. A randomized whole-cluster sampling method was used to assess 4496 adolescents aged 12-17 years in Xinjiang, China. The assessment indexes included height, weight, waist circumference, grip strength, sit-up, standing long jump, sit and reach, 50 m dash, 20-mSRT, and the WWI and PFI were calculated. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallis rank sum test, Pearson correlation analysis, and curvilinear regression analysis were used to analyze the correlations that existed between WWI and PFI. The differences in PFI between different WWI subgroups of Chinese adolescents in Xinjiang were all statistically significant when compared with each other (H-values of 57.058, 137.515, and 19.443, P < 0.01). The analyzed results did not change according to age. Similarly, the same trend was observed for boys and girls. Overall, WWI showed an inverted "U" curve relationship with PFI, and the effect of increased WWI on PFI was more pronounced in boys than in girls. When the WWI is 8.8, the PFI is at its highest level, i.e. 0.131. The relationship between WWI and PFI in Chinese adolescents in Xinjiang showed an inverted "U" curve, with lower or higher WWI negatively affecting PFI, and the effect on boys was more obvious than that on girls. In the future, the WWI level of Chinese adolescents in Xinjiang should be effectively controlled to keep it within a reasonable range, promote the development of physical fitness, and safeguard physical and mental health.

Keywords: Adolescents; Associations; Physical fitness index; Weight-adjusted waist index; Xinjiang.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. Institutional review board statement: This study was conducted by the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from parents or guardians before the assessment of participants in this study, and participants volunteered to be assessed for this study. Approved by the Human Ethics Committee of East China Normal University (HR 475–2020).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
China Xinjiang adolescent participant extraction process.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Association between WWI and PFI among adolescents aged 12–17 years old in Xinjiang, China. WWI weight-adjusted waist index, PFI physical fitness index.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Trends in PFI percentiles for adolescents aged 12–17 in Xinjiang, China. PFI physical fitness index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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