Evaluation of Physical Literacy in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children: Reliability and Validity of Two Measurement Tools in Three Southeastern European Countries.

The awareness of the importance of physical literacy (PL) is globally increasing; however, knowledge of the applicability of PL measurement tools in southeastern Europe is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of translated versions of the CAPL-2 and PLAYself questionnaires in 9- to 11-year-old elementary school children from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The participants were 303 children (141 girls; all 9 to 11 years of age) from Croatia ( = 71), Bosnia and Herzegovina ( = 162), and Montenegro ( = 70), enrolled in regular elementary school.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Lockdown on the Position-Specific Match Running Performance of Professional Football Players; Preliminary Observational Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted professional football in the 2019/2020 season, and football experts anticipate that the consequences of lockdown measures will negatively affect the physical performance of players once competition restarts. This study aimed to evaluate position-specific match running performance (MRP) to determine the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on the physical performance of professional football players. Players' MRPs ( = 124) were observed in matches before and after the COVID-19 lockdown in the 2019/2020 season of the highest level of national competition in Croatia and were classified according to player position: central defenders (CD; = 42), fullbacks (FB; = 20), midfielders (MF; = 46), and forwards (FW; = 16).

Differential Effects of Resistance- and Endurance-Based Exercise Programs on Muscular Fitness, Body Composition, and Cardiovascular Variables in Young Adult Women: Contextualizing the Efficacy of Self-Selected Exercise Modalities.

There is an evident lack of research simultaneously investigating endurance training (ET) and resistance training (RT) with regard to their potential influence on fitness and health status in young women. This study aimed to determine the effects of RT and ET three times a week over an eight-week period on anthropometric/body composition indices, blood pressure (BP), and muscular fitness in apparently healthy young women who participated in a self-preferred program. The sample of participants comprised 57 young healthy women (23.

Indices of Cardiovascular Health, Body Composition and Aerobic Endurance in Young Women; Differential Effects of Two Endurance-Based Training Modalities.

Endurance training (ET) has multiple beneficial effects on cardiovascular health (CVH), but there is an evident lack of knowledge on differential effects of various types of ET on indices of CVH in women. The aim of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of two different types of ET on changes in indicators of CVH in apparently healthy adult women. The sample included 58 women (24 ± 3 years; height: 165 ± 6 cm, mass: 66.

Endurance Training vs. Circuit Resistance Training: Effects on Lipid Profile and Anthropometric/Body Composition Status in Healthy Young Adult Women.

Background: Endurance training (ET) and resistance training (RT) are known to be effective in improving anthropometric/body composition and lipid panel indicators, but there is an evident lack of studies on differential effects of these two forms of physical exercise (PE). This study aimed to evaluate the differential effects of 8-week ET and RT among young adult women.

Methods: Participants were women ( = 57; age: 23 ± 3 years; initial body height: 165 ± 6 cm; body mass: 66.

The Effects of 3-Month Skill-Based and Plyometric Conditioning on Fitness Parameters in Junior Female Volleyball Players.

Purpose: This study compared the effects of skill-based and plyometric conditioning (both performed in addition to regular volleyball training twice a week for 12 wk) on fitness parameters in female junior volleyball players.

Methods: The participants [n = 47; age: 16.6 (0.

Plyometric Training Improves Sprinting, Jumping and Throwing Capacities of High Level Female Volleyball Players Better Than Skill-Based Conditioning.

There is an evident lack of studies on the effectiveness of plyometric- and skill-based-conditioning in volleyball. This study aimed to evaluate effects of 12-week plyometric- and volleyball-skill-based training on specific conditioning abilities in female volleyball players. The sample included 41 high-level female volleyball players (21.

Analyzing the relationship between anthropometric and motor indices with basketball specific pre-planned and non-planned agility performances.

Background: Although agility is an important quality in basketball, factors associated with basketball specific pre-planned-agility (change-of-direction-speed, CODS) and non-planned-agility (reactive agility, RA) are rarely investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate relationship between anthropometric and motor indices with basketball-specific CODS and RA in male basketball players of high performance level.

Methods: We tested 88 high-level male basketball players (height: 194.

An Examination of the Ethnicity-Specific Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Croatian and Bosniak Adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Substance use and misuse (SUM) in adolescence is a significant public health problem and the extent to which adolescents exhibit SUM behaviors differs across ethnicity. This study aimed to explore the ethnicity-specific and gender-specific associations among sports factors, familial factors, and personal satisfaction with physical appearance (i.e.

CIGARETTE SMOKING AMONG 17-18 YEAR OLD ADOLESCENTS - PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATION WITH SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, FAMILIAL, SPORT, AND SCHOLASTIC. FACTORS.

Background: Though adolescence is recognised as a critical period for smoking prevention, there is a lack of research focused on this issue in Kosovo. The aim of this study has been to examine the gender-specific factors of influence (predictors) for smoking among adolescents in Pristina, Kosovo.

Material And Methods: The study sample comprised 1002 adolescents at the age of 17-18 (366 boys, 636 girls), all of whom were in the school's 12th grade.

The biological age of 14-year-old boys and success in adult soccer: do early maturers predominate in the top-level game?

Talent identification and development in soccer is often biased by maturation-related differences of young athletes. However, there is no information available about success rates for youth maturing at different tempos to achieve success in elite adult soccer. The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of different maturational groups among boys playing soccer, and to track them for competence in adult performance.

Sport-specific and anthropometric factors of quality in junior male water polo players.

There is evident lack of studies which examined anthropological determinants of success in water polo. The aim of this investigation was to study the physical fitness differences between two qualitative levels of junior water polo players (males; 16-18 years of age; 6+ year of experience in water polo). The sample (N = 54) comprised of 13 members of the junior national-squad (5 centers and 8 perimeter players), and 41 team-athletes (11 centers and 30 perimeter players).

Sublingual nucleotides prolong run time to exhaustion in young physically active men.

Although dietary nucleotides have been determined to be required for normal immune function, there is limited direct interventional evidence confirming performance-enhancing effects of sublingual nucleotides in humans. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of sublingual nucleotides (50 mg/day) administered for 14 days in thirty young healthy physically active males, on endurance performance and immune responses. Fasting white blood cell count, natural killer cells (NKC) number, NKC cytotoxic activity, and serum immunoglobulin (IgA, IgM, IgG), and time to exhaustion, peak rate of perceived exertion, peak heart rate, and peak running speed during the exercise test were measured at baseline (day 0) and post-intervention (day 14).

Differential analysis of the doping behaviour templates in three types of sports.

Conducted researches recognize various risk factors, as well as protective factors against doping behaviour in different sports i.e. sports disciplines or activities.

A retrospective survey on injuries in Croatian football/soccer referees.

Background: Injury among soccer referees is rarely studied, especially with regard to differences in the quality level of the refereeing. Additionally, we have found no study that has reported injury occurrence during official physical fitness testing for soccer referees. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, type and consequences of match-related and fitness-testing related injuries among soccer referees of different competitive levels.