BackgroundPhysical development can be considered as an indicator of the overall health status of the youth population. Currently, it appears that the increasing trend of the prevalence of obesity among children and youths has stopped in a number of countries worldwide. Studies point to the fact that adolescence is a critical period for the development of obesity. Body mass index (BMI) seems to be an orientation parameter in the assessment of prevalence of obesity which is not sufficient for more accurate identification of at risk individuals.The purpose of this study was to evaluate association between BMI percentile zones as health-risk for being overweight and obese and body composition indicators in high-school students from the Prešov (Slovakia) region.MethodsA non-randomized cross-sectional study in high school students from the Prešov (Slovakia) region was conducted. The research sample consisted of 1014 participants (boys n = 466, girls n = 549). Body composition was measured using direct segmental multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (DSM-BIA). To examine the association between obesity and selected body composition indicators, Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Eta2 were used. The relationship between selected body composition indicators and percentile BMI zones was determined using the Kendall tau correlation.ResultsIn groups with different BMI percentile zones (normal weight, overweight, obese), ANOVA showed significant differences for girls and boys (p ˂.05) with high effect size (η2 ˂.26) in body weight, body fat mass index, body fat percentage, fat free mass index, fat-free mass percentage, visceral fat area, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, protein mass and mineral mass. The highest degree of correlation among boys was between BMI values indicating overweight and obesity and fat free mass index and waist circumference, respectively (τ = .71, τ = .70, respectively). In girls, the highest correlation was found between classification of BMI percentile zones and waist circumference (t = .78).ConclusionThe characteristics of body composition are very useful determinants of health and nutrition status. Our data revealed a direct association between BMI value and chosen body composition indicators. The most accurate indicator of overweight and obesity in our study appears to be waist circumference for both male and female population.

Introduction. The purpose of the study was to assess physical fitness based on using FITNESSGRAM test battery in Slovak high school students. Material and methods. The reference sample consisted of 1,016 high school students from schools located in the Prešov self-governing region. Students were tested for physical fitness components using selected Fitnessgram test items. In addition, students performed 20-meter endurance shuttle run to determine their level of cardiorespiratory fitness and 10-second jumping test on a jumping ergometer to determine their lower-body explosive power. Results. Results of one-way ANOVA showed significant differences for curl-up test (p = .012) between 15-year-old boys and 18-year-old boys. There were no differences between boys living in rural areas and their age-matched counterparts living in urban areas. Contrary to boys, girls from rural areas had higher level of abdominal strength (p = .046; d = .19). In the 20-meter endurance shuttle run, boys averaged 448.87 meters more than girls. Conclusions. This study enables to create norm-referenced standards, which through their content will to a great extent indicate the measures of physical fitness.

Childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity are important public health concerns. Common defınitions of paediatric overweight and obesity are based on BMI (Going et al., 2011). Slovakia is one of the few countries with national BMI standards that take into consideration dietary habits and local genotypes. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents of Prešov region in Slovakia. A non-randomized cross-sectional study was used to determine incidence of obesity in adolescents living in the region of Prešov. Research sample consisted of 1,015 participants (550 girls; 465 boys) aged between 15 and 18 years. BMI values in particular age groups of both genders were assessed according to Slovak National Reference Standards. Results: For both genders, mean values of body height and body weight and mean BMI values across all age categories fell between 50th and 75th percentile. In total, 6.4% of boys and 6.8% of girls were overweight, and 9.4% of boys and 8.2% of girls were obese. The highest prevalence of overweight was found for 18-year-old boys and for 17-year-old girls, and the highest prevalence of obesity was found for both 15-year-old boys and girls. The comparison of our findings with available data from National Anthropometric Survey on physical development of Slovak youth in 2001 showed lower prevalence of overweight, but higher percent prevalence of obesity in girls and boys.