It was established that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in decreased physical activity levels, potentially leading to reduced physical fitness. The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on fitness indices in adolescents. We observed high school adolescents (33% girls; aged 15–17 years) divided into two cohorts. The first cohort (control; n = 48) included adolescents who were in school during the 2018/2019 year, while the second cohort (lockdown; n = 66) was observed during the school year 2019/2020 when COVID-19 lockdown measures were imposed. Variables included body height, body mass, BMI, sit-ups, and the 600 m dash. Both cohorts were tested at the beginning and at the end of the observed school years. A factorial analysis of variance for repeated measurements evidenced an improvement in sit-ups and the 600 m dash in the control, and a decrease of the same capacities in the lockdown cohort. In the lockdown cohort, a decrease in muscular fitness was more evident in boys than in girls. No differential changes between cohorts were evidenced in anthropometrics. Results suggest that the COVID-19 lockdown negatively influenced muscular fitness status in adolescents, especially in boys.

Physical literacy (PL) is thought to facilitate engagement in physical activity, which could lead to better physical fitness (PF). The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of the Croatian version of two frequently applied PL questionnaires that evaluate knowledge and understanding, perceived competence, environment, and value for literacy, numeracy, and PL and validity regarding correlation with objectively evaluated PF in adolescents. Five hundred forty-four high school students (403 females, 141 males) from Croatia were tested on PF (standing long jump, sit-ups for 30 s, sit-and-reach test, multilevel endurance test) and two PL questionnaires. The reliability of the Croatian version of the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy knowledge and understanding (CAPL-2-KU) and PLAYself was good (α = 0.71–0.81 for PLAYself subscales, κ = 0.39–0.69 for CAPL-2-KU). Genders differed in the self-description dimension of PLAYself, with higher results in boys (Z = 3.72, p < 0.001). CAPL-2-KU and PLAYself total score were associated with PF in boys and girls, with PLAYself having stronger associations with PF. This research supports the idea of PL as an essential determinant for the development of PF, highlighting the necessity of the development of cognitive and affective domains of PL in physical education throughout a specifically tailored pedagogical process.

Physical literacy (PL) is one of the main concepts related to lifelong physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF), but there is a lack of information on factors that might be associated with PL in adolescents from southeastern Europe. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between PF, participation and achievement in physical education (PE), out-of-school participation in sports, and PL in high school adolescents from Croatia. Participants were 298 high school students aged 14–18 years (191 females). Variables included school age, PE grade, sports participation, anthropometric indices, four PF tests, and PL (evidenced by CAPL-2-knowledge and understanding questionnaire (CAPL-2-KU) and PLAYself questionnaire). Gender-stratified analyses of differences were conducted using the t-test for independent samples or the Mann-Whitney test. Associations between variables were calculated with Pearson’s product moment correlation or Spearman’s rank order correlation. PF was positively correlated CAPL-2-KU in both genders. PE grade was significantly associated with PLAYself score (Pearson’s correlation = 0.36 and 0.38, p < 0.001 for boys and girls, respectively) but not with the CAPL-2-KU score. School age was not correlated with PL among boys, but there was a significant but negligible correlation between CAPL-2-KU and school age in girls (<2% of the common variance). Adolescents involved in sports had better PL and PF compared with adolescents not involved in sports. In conclusion, participation in out-of-school sports offers a good base for developing PL. Although this study took part over the COVID-19 pandemic period when the regular PE curriculum was significantly altered, the poor associations between school age and PL could lead to the assumption that the current PE curriculum does not allow for improvement of PL in later high school age, which warrants further investigation.

The aim of this paper was to determine the level of physical activity of high school teachers and establish whether there were differences in physical activity of female and male teachers during their professional work, travel to and from work, and leisure time taking into consideration their age, gender, and work experience. The study included teachers at a high school in Osijek-Baranja County, Republic of Croatia. The sample included 41 high school teachers aged from 25 to 64. This study used the Croatian version of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) as the measuring instrument. The variables of the study were the total physical activity of teachers, physical activity at the workplace, physical activity during travel to and from work, and physical activity during leisure time, sporting and recreational activities. The Man-Whitney U test with the significance level of p< 0.05 was used to determine the differences between the named arithmetic means. More than half of the total group (76 %) and both males and females were meeting physical activity recommendations of 600 MET (min/week). The results also show that 24 % of teachers engaged in low-intensity physical activities.

Motivation, with special emphasis on intrinsic motivation is important factor that influences physical activity levels (PAL). The COVID-19 pandemic forced Physical education (PE) teachers to switch to online classes, which increased the problem of keeping students motivated to be physically active. This study aimed to determine the associations between enjoyment in online PE classes and PAL during the COVID-19 lockdown. 198 highschool students aged 14-19 years participated in this study. Variables included interest and enjoyment in PE classes assessed by the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory questionnaire and PAL assessed by Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the associations between variables. Independent samples T-test and χ2 test were used for determining the gender differences in study variables. Significant correlation between PAL and interest/enjoyment in online PE classes was recorded (R=0.23, p<0.05). There were no significant differences between girls and boys in the total subset interest/ enjoyment of intrinsic motivation. However, the difference was observed in the subset enjoyment (χ2(1, N=198)=9.53), with boys showing more enjoyment. Because of the evidenced positive association between interest/enjoyment in PE classes and PAL, it is crucial to provide students fun and interesting PE online classes to maintain PAL during the pandemic and similar situations. The special emphasis should be placed on girls.