The physical condition of the young generation in China is on the decline for 10 years straight, including speed and strength quality, according to the National Physique Monitoring report cited by Beijing Youth Daily.

The report also shows that flexibility, explosive strength, endurance, muscle power and vital capacity are all heading downward.

“On the one hand, the youths’ physical condition is getting worse; on the other hand, there are higher rates of obesity and nearsightedness, one in four urban female students being labeled as fat,” said Dong Xiaoyu, deputy director of the Beijing Olympics City Development Association. (China Daily)

Very sad, and along with the higher obesity rates you have skyrocketing incidence of diabetes and other health problems. Better adjust upward those health care expenses for the next generation, too.

At the same time that some media reports say that kids are getting worse on speed, strength and endurance, some contrary information is being reported.

Apparently some of the fattest, flabbiest kids are, at least in their online incarnations, enjoying amazing strength, agility, and stamina. Some reports suggest that as time goes on, these numbers continue to get better, particularly as these kids gather more gold and successfully complete quests. Then again, these activities often coincide with high levels of poopsocking and pwnage, which can have deleterious health effects.

Moreover, there appear to be some differences based on race, something not usually reported in China. For example, dwarves have scored very high on strength tests, while night elves and trolls seem to do quite well on standardized tests of agility.

Kids are getting fatter while online games are proliferating. Connection? As a recent purchaser of an XBox, I’m not going to answer that question.