Emergency nurses in China scored poorly on most measures of physical fitness, and those who rated their own fitness higher — along with those with faster reaction times — reported stronger core emergency competencies, according to a cross-sectional study published in BMC Nursing.
The study, conducted between April and May 2024, enrolled 146 emergency nurses. Researchers assessed physical fitness through standardized fitness tests and collected data with a self-reported questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, core emergency competencies, and health-reported physical fitness (HRPF), as well as nurses’ perceptions of how fitness relates to their competencies, mental fitness and attention.
The fitness results were striking: only 3.4% of the nurses had good physical fitness, 47.3% were rated as having general fitness, and nearly half — 49.3% — had poor physical fitness. Despite these low objective scores, 88.4% of participants agreed that their self-perceived fitness was associated with their core emergency competencies.
To test whether fitness indicators were statistically linked to competencies, the researchers used multiple linear regression. In the multivariate analysis, two variables stood out: self-reported HRPF was positively associated with core emergency competencies (standardized β = 0.288, 95% CI: 3.001 to 10.746, P = 0.001), and choice reaction time showed a negative association (β = −0.213, 95% CI: −75.805 to −6.868, P = 0.019), meaning faster reaction times went along with higher competency scores.
The association held up after statistical adjustment. When the model controlled for sex, age and work tenure, self-reported HRPF remained significant (β = 0.254, 95% CI: 2.440 to 9.666, P = 0.001), as did choice reaction time (β = −0.217, 95% CI: −74.239 to −10.064, P = 0.010). Notably, body mass index (BMI) also emerged as positively associated with core emergency competencies in the adjusted model (β = 0.261, 95% CI: 0.120 to 0.989, P = 0.013).
The authors frame these findings against the demands of emergency nursing, a specialty that requires both high levels of clinical professionalism and exceptional physical fitness. Yet, they note, little has been known about how physical fitness and core emergency competencies relate to each other in this workforce — a gap the study set out to address by describing fitness levels among emergency nurses and exploring how fitness relates to their competencies.
Because the study is cross-sectional, it captures associations at a single point in time and cannot establish that improving fitness causes better competencies. The sample of 146 nurses is also modest, and the fitness measure that showed the strongest association was self-reported rather than directly measured, which introduces the possibility of perception bias. The objective fitness testing, however, provides a concrete picture of the workforce’s condition: nearly half of these emergency nurses fell into the poor fitness category.
The authors conclude that self-reported HRPF, BMI and choice reaction time were all related to core emergency competencies, and they suggest that nurse managers should prioritize developing programs to improve the physical fitness factors associated with those competencies. As an early-access, peer-reviewed article carrying a permanent DOI, the study offers a first quantitative look at a relationship that could inform how emergency departments support the physical readiness of their nursing staff.
Subject of Research: The association between physical fitness and core emergency competencies among emergency nurses in China
Article Title: Association between physical fitness and core emergency competencies among emergency nurses in China
Article References: Jiang, S., Xia, R., Cai, X., Tao, L., Li, X., & Xia, Z. (2026). Association between physical fitness and core emergency competencies among emergency nurses in China. BMC Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05507-w
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05507-w
Keywords: emergency nursing, physical fitness, core emergency competencies, cross-sectional study, China, reaction time, body mass index, nurse managers, BMC Nursing, occupational health, Association, between
News Source: Ophelia Keating. (October 29, 2026). Physical Fitness Linked to Core Emergency Competencies in Chinese Emergency Nurses. Scienmag.
