Physical literacy (PL) is considered an important determinant of physical activity level (PAL), but studies have rarely examined the associations between PL and PAL in preadolescents. This study aimed to evaluate associatios between PL, PAL and sedentary behavior (SB) in preadolescents from southeastern Europe. The participants were 9- to 11-year-old children from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (n=333, 52% girls) who were tested for PL, PAL and SB. The PLAYself questionnaire was used for the evaluation of PL, while PAL was estimated by data provided throughout the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C). Pearson’s correlations and multiple regressions were calculated to identify the associations between study variables. The results revealed a significant correlation between PL and PAL in the total sample (16% of the common variance) among boys (10% of the common variance) and girls (25% of the common variance), which was additionally confirmed by multiple regression calculated between the PL subdomains and PAL (R2=0.23, 0.15, and 0.31 for total sample, boys and girls, respectively). The SB was not significantly correlated with PL (<2% of the common variance; p>0.05) or with PAL (<1% of the common variance; p>0.05). The results indicated a stronger association between PL and PAL in girls than in boys, indicating the possible influence of the types of physically demanding activities children are involved in on the studied associations. To explore causality more specifically, intervention studies are warranted.

Abstract The goal of this research was to determine the effects of programmed work on the development of specific motor skills in young soccer players. The sample of subjects in this research were football players aged 11 and 12 and they were divided into two equal groups of 30 entities. All participants are involved in the regular training process in their football clubs. The research problem was to determine whether there are positive effects of programmed work on the development of specific motor skills. A total of 6 variables from the area of specific motor skills were used in the research. The experimental work program was carried out over a period of three months and included 38 training units. After initial testing and successfully implemented programmed work and final testing, a significant impact of programmed work on the development of specific motor skills was determined. Specific motor skills that were evaluated on 6 variables in the experimental group showed a significant difference on 4 variables. Keywords: specific motor abilities, work program, training effects, young soccer players

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively influenced individuals’ physical activity levels (PALs) and particularly the PAL of the elderly. However, few studies have examined the correlates of PALs in this population during the pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the residence-specific correlates of PALs in elderly people from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 211 persons older than 65 years (101 females), of whom 111 were community-dwelling residents, and 110 were nursing home residents (71.11 ± 3.11 and 72.22 ± 4.01 years of age, respectively; t-test = 0.91, p < 0.05). The variables included health status, residential status sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics (body mass, height, and body mass index), and PAL. PAL was evaluated using a translated version of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), and was validated in this study. PASE showed good test–retest reliability (51% of the common variance) and validity (57% of the common variance, with the step count measured using pedometers). Apart from participants’ health status and age, PAL was positively correlated with (i) community-dwelling residence (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.60–2.23), and (ii) a lower BMI (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.71–0.98). The pre-pandemic physical activity was positively correlated with the PAL of the nursing home residents (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.02–1.45). A higher education level was positively correlated with the PAL of community-dwelling residents (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04–1.66). This study evidenced the residence-specific correlates of PALs, and enabled the identification of specific groups that are at risk of having low PALs during the pandemic. Future studies examining this problem during a non-pandemic period are warranted.

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 (n = 71), Bosnia and Herzegovina (n = 162), and Montenegro (n = 70), enrolled in regular elementary school. The participants were tested throughout a test–retest procedure using two PL evaluation tools, i.e., the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (shorter version, CAPL-2) and the Physical Literacy Assessment of Youth (PLAYself) questionnaires. With an intraclass correlation (ICC) of 0.70–0.80 for specific questionnaire subscales and 0.84 for the total score, PLAYself was found to be reliable. With Kappa values of 0.11–0.23 and a percentage of absolute agreement of less than 62%, CAPL-2 appeared to be less reliable. Factors related to sport participation were significantly positively associated with the PLAYself score, indicating its proper validity. In conclusion, we suggest the usage of the PLAYself questionnaire in further studies examining PL in children of a similar age in the region. Future studies in other age groups and languages are also warranted.

Abstract Introduction. COVID-19 pandemic increased consumption of alcohol (including harmful drinking – HD), and decreased physical activity levels (PAL) globally, but there is an evident lack of studies examining the problem in the post-pandemic period. This study aimed to evaluate gender-specific associations between sport participation and PAL (independent variables), and HD (dependent variable) among college/university students during the first post-pandemic year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods. The participants were college/university students, aged 18 to 21 years (n = 788; 409 females) from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were tested on socio-demographic factors, HD (using the AUDIT scale), sport participation and PAL (using the IPAQ questionnaire). Analysis of variance, Chi square test, and t-test for independent samples were used to evaluate differences, while logistic regression with dichotomized criterion (HD vs. non-harmful drinking – NHD) was calculated to establish associations between independent and dependent variables. Results. T-test indicated significant differences between HD and NHD in PAL (t-test = 2.16, p = 0.02), but only in males. Also, logistic regression indicated a significant correlation between PAL and HD in males (OR: 1.41, 95%CI: 1.11-1.76), while no association was evidenced: (i) between sport participation and HD (in both males and females), and (ii) between PAL and HD (in females). Conclusions. Results indicated that an overall increase in PAL could be helpful in decreasing HD among college/university students; however, to evaluate it more specifically, prospective analyses are needed.

Cigarette smoking (CS) and low physical activity levels (PAL) are known to be risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. However, few studies have examined the associations between these factors in population of university students, and, to the best of our knowledge, no study examined this issue in period after the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the detrimental social and health consequences of the pandemic. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations between sport-participation, PAL and CS among university-level students in the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 761 students (411 females) from three universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, who were tested using semi-structured anonymous questionnaires at the beginning of the 2022/2023 academic year. Questions included queries on sociodemographic characteristics, CS, PAL, and sport-participation. Differences between genders were established by Chi-square test and gender-stratified logistic regressions were calculated to evaluate the associations between sport-participation and PAL, with binomized CS (smoking vs. non-smoking). One third of participants were daily smokers. Logistic regression showed no correlation between PAL and smoking prevalence for total sample (OR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.75-1.05), males (OR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.41-1.45), or females (OR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.54-1.52). In addition, sport participation was not significantly associated with smoking. Results did not prove that sport and physical exercising are a way of reducing the likelihood of smoking; this finding could be a characteristic of the studied sample of participants, but could also be related to the period that was observed (the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic). Further studies examining the associations between PAL/sport participation and other types of substance misuse are warranted.

Background: It is crucial to evaluate children’s motor coordination and strength to identify possible motor deficits on the right or left side of the body. However, whether a distinction exists in children aged 3–6 must be clarified. The goal of the current research was to investigate the differences in motor skills between preschool boys and girls, dominant and non-dominant hands or legs, in children of preschool age. (2) Methods: The present study was conducted on a sample of children (boys, n = 52; girls, n = 52; age range, 3–6 years). Three motor tests evaluated on both sides of the body served as the sample of factors used to measure athletic performance. Leg tapping (15 s), hand tapping (15 s), and a maximal hand grip strength (HGS) test kg. (3) Results: The study’s findings show no statistically significant variations in preschool boys’ and girls’ motor skills. Preschool girls had better results in the right leg tapping than preschool boys t (98) = 2.08; p ≤ 0.04. We found a significant difference between genders aged 3–4, 4–5, and 5–6 years. No correlation was found between the girls’ three variables and age. A small but significant positive correlation was found between dominant hand tapping and age r2 (52) = 0.21; p ≤ 0.01, dominant leg tapping and age r2 (52) = 0.20; p ≤ 0.01 and dominant HGS and age r2 (52) = 0.17; p ≤ 0.01. No noticeable differences were identified when comparing the dominant side with the non-dominant side in each group. The results show that most children prefer to use their right hand and right leg as their dominant sides. (4) Conclusion: The authors of this study focus on the functional (frequency of movements) and dynamic (differences in muscle strength between body sides) elements of asymmetry. Future studies should examine the influence of morphology on performance with the dominant or non-dominant body side.

The World Health Organization (WHO) released guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behav-iour, and sleep for children under 5 years of age in 2019. In response to these guidelines, this study aimed to determine the proportion of preschool children (ages 3-5 years) who met the WHO guidelines. The time spent in physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep were objectively measured using accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3x-BT). Screen time and sleep quality were assessed via parent questionnaire. Focus groups were con-1 ducted with parents and childcare staff to determine the feasibility of the protocol. The results showed that only 23% of the children met all three guidelines, and compliance rates varied for each guideline. The physical activity time guideline was met by 64% of children, the sleep duration guideline was met by 74% of children, and the screen time guideline was met by 53% of children. Only a low proportion of children met the WHO guidelines. The methods and devices used in this pilot study proved to be feasible and this has paved the way to conduct the main SUNRISE study in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The aim of this research was to determine the effects of programmed work on the development of basic motor skills in young soccer players. The sample of participants in this research were football players aged 11 and 12 and they were divided into two equal groups of 30 entities. All participants are involved in a systematic training process in their football clubs. The research problem was to determine whether there are positive effects of programmed work on the development of basic motor skills. A total of 16 variables from the area of basic motor skills were used in the research. The experimental work program was carried out over a period of three months and included 38 training units. After initial testing and successfully implemented programmed work and final testing, a significant impact of programmed work on the development of basic (fundamental) motor skills was determined. In general, looking at the total motor abilities that were evaluated from 16 variables in the experimental group, a statistically significant difference was achieved in 11 variables, in the control group 6 with a positive significant difference. Keywords: basic motor skills, football program effects, young soccer players

Abstract Background: In the present study, the main goal was to establish whether the disciplines are equal and should the Code of Points (COP) women's artistic gymnastics be revised in terms of point standardization on apparatus. Material and methods: The sample included all-around senior female gymnasts who participated in the qualification (C-I) competitions at World Championships held in 2009-2019. Results: The biggest differences are even two points between the two apparatus vault and balance beam. Vault compared to other apparatus is different for 1.559 points. Presentation of correlations between each apparatus the evidence that nothing has changed significantly in recent years, whereas correlations of the difficulty values of elements are extremely high between the present COP. Conclusions: With this analysis, we have found that the results achieved at the vault and other apparatus were significantly different in terms of success in all-around competition. abstract Background: ‪In the present study, the main goal was to establish whether the disciplines are equal and should the Code of Points (COP) women's artistic gymnastics be revised in terms of point standardization on apparatus. Material and methods: ‪The sample included all-around senior female gymnasts who participated in the qualification (C-I) competitions at World Championships held in 2009-2019. Results: ‪The biggest differences are even two points between the two apparatus vault and balance beam. Vault compared to other apparatus is different for 1.559 points. Presentation of correlations between each apparatus the evidence that nothing has changed significantly in recent years, whereas correlations of the difficulty values of elements are extremely high between the present COP. Conclusions: ‪With this analysis, we have found that the results achieved at the vault and other apparatus were significantly different in terms of success in all-around competition.