College students dubbed 'brittle' amid declining physical health
A comic on a "brittle college student" who twisted her ankle.
The buzzwords "brittle college students" have gone viral on the Internet recently amid mounting concerns over a serious decline in the physical health of Chinese college students.
The words refer to the new generation of college students generally afflicted with many physical problems. "Brittle," which literally means tender and fragile, has been used by netizens to jokingly describe how easily college students can get injured and sick.
A viral video with a hashtag "brittle college students" has amassed 640 million views on social media.
The relevant hashtag "brittle college students" has exploded on social media, with a slew of comments sharing experiences of college students subject to unexpected and hilarious injuries such as "I just stretched a bit but my neck got twisted", "I lay on my side to play with my phone but was diagnosed with strabismus", and "I twisted my ankle while dancing in the dorm."
A video on Douyin, the Chinese version of short video platform TikTok, shows how a female college student broke her foot while dancing in the dorm.
Such comments have sparked heated discussion over the declining physical fitness of contemporary college students, which is confirmed by the stunning record of visits to one hospital in the city of Zhengzhou, north-central Henan Province.
Henan Broadcasting System reported on October 8 that Zhengzhou Central Hospital received some 1,700 young people aged between 18 and 25 in its emergency department in September alone.
"These young people were mainly diagnosed with trauma, abdominal pain, chest tightness, hyperventilation, acute alcoholism, and cholecystitis. Most cases were caused by irregular daily routine, staying up late and unhealthy diet," said Cheng Xiaodan, deputy director of the hospital's emergency department.
The "2020 China University Students Health Survey Report" published by China Youth Daily likewise pointed out that unhealthy lifestyle is common among college students. Out of 12,117 collegians, 86 percent of participants said they had experienced health issues such as poor skin condition, lack of sleep, and emotional problems.
In addition to insufficient exercise, the rising number of "vulnerable college students" can be attributed to irregular work and rest schedules and unhealthy lifestyles, according to Gou Bo, professor of sports medicine at Xi'an Physical Education University.
"Nowadays, college students spend too much time on smartphones with excessive sedentary screen time. Many stay up late playing games or writing essays, etc., which leads to waking up late and skipping breakfast. All of this harms physical health, resulting in a more 'brittle' body," Gou noted.
