Jana Vašíčková

Is Participation in After-School Physical Activity Associated with Increased Total Physical Activity? A Study of High School Pupils in the Czech Republic

This study assessed the physical activity (PA) levels and its variability across days, months and seasons of two groups of high school pupils: those who did and those who did not participate in regular organized after-school physical activity (ASPA). Thirteen pupils wore pedometers continuously for one school-year, logged their step counts into record sheets and were then interviewed for information as regards their participation in any ASPA. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that regardless of the day, month and season, ASPA pupils achieved significantly more mean step counts/day than the non-ASPA pupils. There were no significant fluctuations across months and seasons in PA levels of ASPA pupils when compared to non-ASPA pupils. We conclude that regular organised ASPA might increase the pupils’ total PA levels; and could help to maintain a relatively constant PA level for adolescents across the whole school-year regardless of the influences of a range of weather and meteorological indicators that are related to months/seasons.

The influence of monitoring interval on data measurement: an analysis of step counts of university students.

The pedometer is a widely used research tool for measuring the level and extent of physical activity (PA) within population subgroups. The sample used in this study was drawn from a population of university students to examine the influence of the monitoring interval and alternate starting days on step-count activity patterns. The study was part of a national project during 2008–2010. Eligible subjects (641) were selected from a sample of 906 university students. The students wore pedometers continuously for 7 days excluding time for sleep and personal hygiene. Steps per day were logged on record sheets by each student. Data gathering spanned an entire week, and the results were sorted by alternate starting days, by activity for an entire week, by activity for only the weekdays of the one-week monitoring interval and for the two-day weekend. The statistical analysis included ANOVA, intra-class correlation (ICC) analysis, and regression analysis. The ICC analysis suggested that monitoring starting on Monday (ICC = 0.71; 95%CI (0.61–0.79)), Tuesday (ICC = 0.67; 95%CI (0.59–0.75)) or Thursday (ICC = 0.68; 95%CI (0.55–0.79)) improved reliability. The results of regression analysis also indicated that any starting day except Sunday is satisfactory as long as a minimum of four days of monitoring are used.

Secular trends in pupils’ assessments of physical education lessons in regard to their self-perception of physical fitness across the educational systems of Czech Republic and Poland

Observation of trends in physical education plays an integral role in motor-development diagnostics and in encouraging physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. This study aims to elucidate the current state of and trends in pupils’ assessments of physical education lessons (PELs) in different education systems in the context of self-perception of physical fitness. The research was conducted during PELs taught by student teachers at primary schools and high schools in the Czech Republic and in Poland. Schools were selected annually between 2000 and 2011 according to the student teachers’ places of residence. In total, the research involved 25,988 Czech pupils and 21,205 Polish pupils. At the end of each PEL, an anonymous questionnaire was distributed. The Czech and Polish versions contained cognitive, emotional, health, social, attitudinal, and creative dimensions and the supplementary dimension “pupil’s role”. For the analysis, pupils were divided according to their self-perceived physical fitness (SPF) as marked in the questionnaire (low or high). Polish and Czech pupils who evaluated themselves as having high physical fitness gave PELs higher evaluations, both overall and in individual dimensions, than those who evaluated themselves as having low physical fitness. During three 4-year periods between 2000 and 2011, a decline in positive PEL evaluations occurred in all groups, except among Polish girls with low SPF. A low positive-assessment rate was found in Czech girls with low SPF. The lowest rate was found in Czech boys with low SPF. The Polish system of education includes more weekly PEL and offers vocational training for PE teachers, facilitating more positive evaluation of PEL by pupils compared with the Czech system. It is necessary to focus on meeting the needs of pupils with low SPF during teacher training and in teaching.

Trends in Perception of Psychosocial School Environment: HBSC Study 2002–2014 in the Czech Republic

OBJECTIVE School is a place where students spend most of their daytime hours. Previous studies indicate that the class climate significantly affects students in both positive and negative ways. The aim of our study is to describe the trends in the psychosocial school environment based on four surveyed years in the Czech Republic. METHODS The trends in perception of school were assessed by the standardised self-reported HBSC questionnaire from data collected in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. The overall sample included 8,530 girls and 8,087 boys. Data was analysed separately by gender and three age categories 11, 13, and 15 years. Trends were calculated using descriptive categories and percentages. To identify factors influencing school likeness we used binominal logistic regression. RESULTS Results showed that school satisfaction declines with age both in boys and girls in each of four surveyed periods. Students who do not feel a high level of support from the teacher are more prone to negative perceptions of school. School duties in both genders were perceived to be greater and more stressful in 2014 than in 2002. CONCLUSIONS Interventions to support the perception of psychosocial school environment via the educational system should, therefore, take the aforementioned variation into account.

Trends in Tobacco Smoking among Czech School-aged Children from 1994 to 2014

OBJECTIVE The aim of the article is to examine trends in tobacco consumption among the Czech school-age population. METHODS For the analysis, data from the Czech Health Behaviour in School-aged Children project, conducted between 1994 and 2014 were used. Trends in tobacco smoking were determined separately for boys and girls, applying the binary logistic regression with survey period as an independent variable for the smoking status. RESULTS The analysis showed that there have been significant changes in adolescent tobacco smoking for the recent 20 years. While the share of current school-aged smokers was continuously increasing since the mid-1990s, the trend reached its peak in the mid-2000s. CONCLUSION In recent years, the prevalence of adolescent smokers has significantly declined in the Czech Republic. Despite this recent decline, adolescent smoking remains a major challenge for the national health policy.

Trends in Children's Toothbrushing in the Czech Republic from 1994 to 2014: Results of the HBSC Study.

OBJECTIVE Brushing ones teeth twice a day is the main self-care method to prevent the most prevalent non-communicable diseases. The aim of the study is to describe the trends in brushing teeth in 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old Czech children between 1994 and 2014. METHODS One question about oral health from the HBSC study protocol was used in the six surveys (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014). Altogether, 21,170 answers from boys and girls were analyzed using statistical description and binominal logistic regression. RESULTS The findings showed that the prevalence of brushing their teeth more than once a day increased throughout the twenty years, more so in boys, but a preventive programme is still needed to educate the 21-38% of those who brush their teeth less than twice a day. CONCLUSION Although the recommended frequency of brushing their teeth has increased among Czech school-aged children, it still lags far behind the recommended twice-a-day regularity, especially among boys.