engleski

Influence of sars-cov-2 pandemics on youth sport

Last year world encountered SARS-CoV-2 pandemics, which led to significant changes in the every-day life. Social distancing, obligatory masks and limited number of people in the closed spaces which presented places of high-risk for virus spread made work of sports clubs almost impossible and many faced contemporary closing. Physical inactivity during childhood is a well-recognized risk factor for various chronic diseases and disabilities. According to CroCOSI study results from 2015/2016, 35% of children aged 8 to 9 years in Croatia were overweight and every second child was active less than 3 hours weekly in an organized physical activity. We wanted to assess how the lockdown influenced different indoor and outdoor sports activity of children in Croatia. We performed an online survey available for the club personnel having the appropriate information regarding the number of active members, 6 to 14 years old (trainers, club presidents or secretaries). The survey was available between February and May 2021, and was anonymous. Overall data for analysis was available from 71 clubs (16 using outdoor and 55 indoor venues) from 16 counties and 7 different sports (judo, kickboxing, sailing, sports gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, triathlon, kayak/canoe). The results suggest the decrease in the number of active members by 40.37%. The clubs reported 4049 active members in 2019 compared to 2416 in the year 2020. There were however differences between indoor and outdoor sports, especially in the number of members of clubs with outdoor training which had a 12% increase in members compared to a decrease of 44.8% seen in indoor sports clubs. According to results from the questionnaire, the main reason for observed changes in active sports members was the fear of contracting the SARS-CoV- 2 virus. The clubs adopted to the new circumstances by increasing the time in training spent outdoors. Consequences of lockdown and fear of pandemics might have longstanding significant repercussion on the physical and mental health of children and governments need to put effort into finding opportunities for children to become and stay active in this new era. One of the possible solutions might be in supporting the outdoor activities, while there is a greater interest of members aged 6 to 14 and their parents for outdoor sports, which is greatly influenced by the fear of infection.

sport clubs ; indoor sports ; outdoor sports ; youth ; Covid-19

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