Spatiotemporal patterns and spatial spillover effects of public service supply for national fitness in China.

Public service for nationwide fitness serves as a key pillar for advancing the Healthy China initiative and reducing health inequities. However, regional development disparities and supply-demand mismatches remain prominent, and empirical research from a public health perspective on the long-term spatiotemporal evolution and spatial spillover effects of such services is still lacking. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2013 to 2022, this study measures the supply level of public services for nationwide fitness using the CRITIC-entropy weight method, and employs spatial trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation, and a spatial lag model (SAR) to investigate its spatiotemporal patterns and spatial spillover effects. The results show that the supply level of China's nationwide fitness public services exhibits a three-stage upward trend, with an average annual growth rate of 7.18%, and an overall spatial pattern characterized by higher levels in the east than in the west, and higher in the south than in the north. The disparity between the eastern and western regions has narrowed, whereas the north-south gap has continued to widen. Economic development level and urbanization level demonstrate bidirectional positive spatial spillover effects; population density, government support, and educational structure only affect local supply levels; transportation accessibility shows no significant effect. Therefore, differentiated regional policies and strengthened interprovincial cooperation are needed to optimize resource allocation with a focus on health equity. These findings provide a reference for formulating public health strategies, alleviating health inequities, and improving the overall health status of residents.