A decade of change: Increasing "weekend warrior" behavior and physical activity trends among middle-aged and older adults in China (2011-2020).

OBJECTIVE

As global aging accelerates, understanding physical activity trends among China's middle-aged and older adults population becomes crucial, especially considering the rising phenomenon of "weekend warriors" who concentrate their physical activities on any 1-2 days of the week. This study aims to determine the nationwide temporal trends in meeting physical activity guidelines and the proportion of "weekend warriors" among middle-aged and older adults individuals in China from 2011 to 2020.

METHODS

Five rounds of cross-sectional data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were used to examine adherence to physical activity guidelines and the proportion of "weekend warriors" using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Among 55,711 participants (mean age 61.9 ± 10.0 years; 46.4 % male), we observed a modest increase in adherence to physical activity guidelines from 2011 (55.8 %) to 2020 (57.0 %). Notably, the proportion of "weekend warriors" more than doubled, from 2.2 % in 2011 to 6.4 % in 2020 (p-trend <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Between 2011 and 2020, adherence to physical activity guidelines among middle-aged and older Chinese adults increased slightly, concurrently, the proportion of "weekend warriors" rose significantly. This trend suggests that concentrating physical activity on 1-2 days of the week may be gaining popularity. Future research should focus on this subgroup to assess the long-term health benefits and potential risks associated with such activity patterns.