Some characteristics of social interactions among adolescents in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia

Aerobic Capacity in Relation to Selected Elements of Body Posture

BACKGROUND

In the 21st century, with the rapid development of many human life areas, physical activity should be prevalent in health maintenance and promotion. Body posture is a motor habit characteristic of every individual. Its correctness depends on numerous aspects, e.g., physical activity, age, mental state, or eating habits. There are numerous reports in the literature on the impact of physical activity on body posture, correct foot arch development, and the level of aerobic capacity in children and adolescents, but there is a noticeable lack of assessments of these characteristics and their correlations in adults.

AIM

To evaluate aerobic capacity in males and females in relation to selected body posture elements.

METHODS

The study involved 45 females and 46 males aged 20-21 years. The inclusion criteria involved declared good health and no contraindications. Selected somatic traits, body posture, and physical capacity indicators were determined.

RESULTS

Physical capacity shows a significant relationship with body mass in both sexes (female: r = -0.346; p = 0.020; male: r = -0.321; p = 0.030). A significant correlation was observed between aerobic capacity and lean body mass in females (r = -0.428; p = 0.003) and body mass (r = -0.461; p = 0.001) and body fat percentage in males (r = -0.443; p = 0.002). A significant correlation was demonstrated between maximal oxygen uptake and Clarke's angle (r = -0.300; p = 0.045) in females, between maximal oxygen uptake and the loaded area of the right foot (r = -0.247; p = 0.098) in the male group, and between maximal oxygen uptake and spine lateral deviation (r = 0.352; p = 0.018) in females. There was no dimorphism between body posture elements and physical capacity except for the level of foot longitudinal arches, feet loading surface, spine lateral deviation, and the range of spine mobility in the sagittal and frontal planes. Aerobic capacity significantly influenced lean body mass (β = -0.379; p = 0.007) and spine deviation from the anatomical axis in the frontal plane in females (β = 0.287; p = 0.039) and body fat percentage in males (β = -0.443; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Selected body posture elements demonstrate relationships with physical capacity in both sexes. The results should find wide practical applications, e.g., in promoting a comprehensive assessment of body posture and physical capacity as determinants of health maintenance.

Social capital and physical activity among Croatian high school students

OBJECTIVE

To examine factors associated with regular physical activity in Croatian adolescents.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey among high school students was carried out in the 2013/14 school year.

METHOD

A survey was conducted among 33 high schools in Zagreb City, Croatia. Participants were students aged 17-18 years. The dependent variables were regular moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and overall physical activity measured by the short version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire and defined as 60 min or more of daily physical activity. The independent variables included family, neighborhood, and high school social capital. Other study covariates included: socio-economic status, self-rated health, psychological distress and nutritional status. The associations between physical activity and social capital variables were assessed separately for boys and girls through multiple logistic regression and inverse probability weighting in order to correct for missing data bias.

RESULTS

A total of 1689 boys and 1739 girls responded to the survey. A higher percentage of boys reported performing regular vigorous and moderate physical activity (59.4%) and overall physical activity (83.4%), comparing with the girls (35.4% and 70%, respectively). For boys, high family social capital and high informal social control were associated with increased odds of regular MVPA (1.49, 95%CI: 1.18 - 1.90 and 1.26, 95%CI: 1.02 - 1.56, respectively), compared to those with low social capital. For girls, high informal social control was associated with regular overall physical activity (OR 1.38, 95% CI: 1.09 - 1.76).

CONCLUSION

High social capital is associated with regular MVPA in boys and regular overall activity in girls. Intervention and policies that leverage community social capital might serve as an avenue for promotion of physical activity in youth.