Analysis of secular trends in physical fitness of children and adolescents (8–18 years) from Kraków (Poland) between 2010 and 2020

Abstract

Objectives The aim of the study was to analyze the changes of the motor skills of children and adolescents from Kraków between 2010 and 2020. Methods The group included 4106 children and adolescents (8–18 years of age). The analysis of changes included results of the following fitness tests: backwards overhead medicine ball throw, standing broad jump, dynamometric strength of the hand, flexibility test, as well as shuttle run (10 × 5 m). Results A negative trend in both sexes was observed in the results of overhead medicine ball throw. The girls also had a negative intergenerational changes in the results of the shuttle run and the flexibility test. A positive secular trend was also observed in both sexes in relations to the dynamometric force of the right and left hand. In addition, the boys studied in more contemporary times showed better results in the shuttle run, compared to their peers in 2010. Conclusion The study reported a decline in overall motor performance in children and adolescents. The observed results may be related to a decrease in the level of physical activity, as well as a higher incidence of overweight and high levels of body fat in the modern population.

Secular trends in physical fitness of rural Chinese children and adolescents aged 7–18 years from 1985 to 2019

“…On the other hand, for the bent-arm hangs test, we found that most studies showed downward trends, such as in Slovenia 15 , Dutch 43 , Lithuania 39 , and the UK 57 . We also found a decline in backward overhead medicine ball throws in Poland (Krakow) 47 . Kaster et al 19 estimated secular trends of sit-up performance for 9,939,289 children and adolescents aged 9-17 years from 31 countries/regions from 1964 to 2017 and found that most countries showed positive trends.…”

“…However, we found that the explosive power of rural boys improved from 2015 to 2018 in Shanghai, China 13 , and improved in Japan in the last decade 36 . Some developed countries, such as Slovenia (until 2014) 21 , Lithuania 39 , Italy 41 , Poland 47 , and Brazil 48 , reported negative trends at the beginning of the twenty-first century or throughout the observed period, with many of these studies showing no significant changes 15,39,41,47 or improvement for girls in recent years 21 . The explosive power of Croatian and German boys had no significant changes and improved for girls slightly since the beginning of the twenty-first century 14,49 .…”

“…The flexibility of boys worsened and improved in girls in Hong Kong from 1998 to 2015 53 which was similar to our findings A 30-year negative trend was observed in Africa 37 , but a positive trend was observed in Japan in the previous decade 36 . For some developed countries, such as Croatia 14 , Portugal 38 , Lithuania 39 , rural Germany 42 , Dutch 43 , Poland (Krakow) 47 , and Brazil 48 , a large number of studies have shown that flexibility has worsened. Other studies (e.g., rural Poland 6 , Slovenia 15 , Italy 41 , Germany 49 , Canada 54 , and Brazil 55 ) found negative or steady trends in boys and steady or positive trends in girls in recent years.…”

Intergenerational Changes in the Waist Circumference and Selected Associated Indicators among Children and Adolescents from Kraków (Poland), between 1983 and 2020

“…The analysis of these changes showed a clear trend, indicating a systematic improvement in the social and living conditions of society. The biggest change concerned the level of education, self-assessed financial situation, and the number of children in the family [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Later, significant economic progress and the following changes in the population’s lifestyle may have strongly influenced the intergenerational increase in trunk circumferences, as well as the values of the derived indicators [ 21 , 35 ].…”

Forced migration and integration ‐ comparison of physical fitness of children from Poland and Ukraine as an indicator of general health

“…It should be stressed, that fitness is a crucial component of overall health (Kryst et al 2022). Thus, children who are unfit are also characterized by an increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.…”