Pal Hamar

The prevalence of sedentary behaviours and physical activity in Hungarian youth

BACKGROUND The study of sedentary behaviour is becoming much more visible, alongside research on physical activity. Few published studies, however, originate from Eastern or Central Europe. METHOD Prevalence and point estimate data of key leisure time sedentary and active behaviours are reported from Hungary, a country that has been through an important political transition in the past two decades. Participants (n = 301) aged 13-18 years completed time-use diaries over 4 days for time outside of school. Sedentary and active behaviours were coded and analysed. RESULTS TV viewing reflected trends found elsewhere and was the most prevalent sedentary behaviour. Physical activity levels were low. The next most time-consuming sedentary weekday activities were homework, motorized transport, sitting and talking and playing computer/video games. Gender differences were different to some other countries, with girls reporting more computer game use and boys more sitting and talking, but these may reflect cultural and reporting differences. CONCLUSION This study provides the first comprehensive description of sedentary behavioural prevalence in Hungarian youth.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviours in youth: Data from three Central-Eastern European countries

Abstract Limited data are available on the active and sedentary behaviours of young people in Eastern Europe. Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia are relatively new members of the European Union. The socioeconomic status of the people of these countries differs from that of their Western European counterparts. These three countries are understudied in respect of physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns in youth. Ecological momentary assessment was employed for data collection among 13- to 18-year-old students (n=623). A 3 (socioeconomic status)×3 (country)×2 (gender) multivariate analysis of variance, with physical activity, technological sedentary behaviour, and sedentary socializing behaviour as dependent variables, showed that for weekday behaviours there were significant multivariate main effects for country (P<0.001) and gender (P<0.001), but not for socioeconomic status (P>0.05). Slovakia showed greater technological sedentary behaviours than the other two countries. Romania and Slovakia had higher physical activity levels than Hungary. Boys spent more time than girls on technological sedentary behaviours, while girls spent more time than boys on socializing sedentary behaviours on weekdays and weekends (P<0.001). For weekend behaviours, the country×gender interaction was significant (P<0.046), with the highest rates of technological sedentary behaviours for males in Slovakia and Hungary, with lower figures for girls in these countries and particularly for boys and girls in Romania. There was a significant multivariate main effect for country (P<0.001), with fewer technological sedentary behaviours in Romania than the other two countries. Hungarian youth were less active than Romanian youth. These three Eastern European countries show quite high levels of sedentary behaviours but these co-exist with varying physical activity patterns. Values differ by country and gender.

Prevalence of Sedentary Behaviour in Young People in Romania and Slovakia

Sedentary behaviour is becoming a popular area of health research, but most studies report data on samples from Australia, the UK and USA, and on a narrow range of behaviours. The present study reports on the prevalence of multiple sedentary behaviours in a sample of secondary school students (n = 635; mean age 16.0 years) from Romania and Slovakia. Ecological Momentary Assessment diaries were used to record multiple behaviours across weekdays and weekend days. Results showed high levels of many sedentary behaviours, particularly for screen time at weekends. Other behaviours included homework, sedentary socializing and motorized transport. Gender, age and country differences were evident for some behaviours. Interventions may need to account for socio-demographic moderators, and studies need to assess multiple sedentary behaviours.

An investigation into the relationship between pre-competition mood states, age, gender and a national ranking in artistic gymnastics

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between pre-competition mood state factors in gymnastics by gender, age and a national ranking. Participant-gymnasts (total n=116, male n=49, female n=67) completed a Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) one day prior to their main competition of the year. Information was also gathered from gymnasts of gender, age and a national ranking. Consistent with theoretical predictions, results confirmed that a number of pre-competition mood states differed by age with both juniors and seniors having a higher level of anger than children (p<.05 respectively). Also, seniors demonstrated higher tension than children (p<.001). However, only anger showed significant differences by gender with male gymnasts demonstrating higher levels of anger than female gymnasts (p<.05), and with international gymnasts registering higher levels of anger compared with second class gymnasts (p<.05). Authors suggest that future research should investigate relationships between the pre-competition mood in other gymnastics-related disciplines and sports, as well as competitive performances.