Research Hotspots and Development Trends of Adolescent Physical Exercise in China: A CiteSpace-Based Knowledge Mapping Study

Qingping  Xiao

doi:10.54691/503mn660

Authors

Qingping Xiao

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/503mn660

Keywords:

Adolescent physical exercise; CiteSpace; integration of sports and education; mental health; personalized exercise.

Abstract

Objective: Adolescent physical exercise is a key component of China's strategies to build a leading sporting nation, advance the Healthy China initiative, and strengthen the education system. It has therefore remained an important issue of sustained concern for the Party and the state. This study aims to examine the current research landscape, hotspots, and future trends in studies on adolescent physical exercise in China. Methods: A total of 185 articles on adolescent physical exercise published between 1993 and 2025 in Peking University Core Journals and indexed in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database were selected as research samples. Bibliometric methods and CiteSpace-based knowledge mapping were used to conduct a systematic analysis of the field.Results: Research on adolescent physical exercise in China shows three main characteristics. First, its development can be divided into several stages: an initial stage focused on basic physical fitness and institutional exploration; an intermediate stage in which an integrated framework linking physical fitness, psychological factors, and practical mechanisms gradually took shape; and a recent stage characterized by technology-enabled precision and specialization. Second, the collaboration network shows a pattern of strong core concentration but loose overall connections, with insufficient cooperation among leading institutions and limited participation from peripheral universities. Third, high-frequency research themes include adolescents, physical exercise, and school sports. However, several problems remain, including insufficient interdisciplinary integration, limited attention to vulnerable groups, and inadequate application of emerging technologies. Conclusion: Future research on adolescent physical exercise in China should strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and promote coordinated efforts among families, schools, and communities. It should also advance personalized exercise interventions empowered by intelligent technologies, facilitate the translation of research findings into policy and practice, and improve the equitable allocation of sports facilities, thereby consolidating the foundation for building a leading sporting nation.

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