engleski

Secular trends in health-related physical fitness among 11–14-year-old Croatian children and adolescents from 1999 to 2014

The main purpose of the study was to analyze secular trends of health-related physical ftness in 7–14-year-old Croatian children and adolescents from 1999 and 2014. In this observational crosssectional study, we recruited 5077 children and adolescents between ages 11 and 14 (50.8% girls) from fve primary schools located in the capital city of Zagreb. Physical ftness performance was tested from 1999 until 2014. Physical ftness performance included: (1) body- mass index (measure of body size), (2) standing broad jump (measure of lower-body power), (3) polygon backwards (measure of general coordination and agility), (4) sit-ups in 60 s (measure of upper-body strength), (5) sit-and- reach test (measure of fexibility) and (6) 6-min run test (measure of cardiorespiratory ftness). Boys performed better in all physical ftness tests, except for sit-and-reach test (p< 0.001). In boys, between 1999 and 2014, body size, upper-body strength and coordination/agility increased, while fexibility, lowerbody power and cardiorespiratory ftness decreased. During the same period, girls experienced an increase in body size, lower-body power, upper- body strength, coordination/agility and fexibility, while cardiorespiratory ftness decreased. This study shows that cardiorespiratory ftness, fexibility and coordination/agility decrease, while upper- body strength increases in both sexes. These fndings should serve as an avenue for national monitoring system to screen and track biological development in children and adolescents.

Secular trends ; health‑related physical fitness ; children ; adolescents

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