BackgroundChanging daily habits such as diet, hygiene and physical activity may be some of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of this pandemic on lifestyle, physical activity, eating and hygiene habits among students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 171 students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. Data were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Marginal homogeneity test and Chi-square test. The differences were considered statistically significant when p ≤ 0.05.ResultsIn this study, it was observed that the most common physical activity before the pandemic was walking, while during the pandemic was home exercising. Compared to the period before the pandemic, there was no difference in the time spent engaging in daily physical activity (p = 0.334). However, there was a significant increase in sitting time during the pandemic (p = 0.005). Difference was noticed in the use of breakfast, the number of meals, and the type of fat in the diet before and during the pandemic (p = 0.000). During the pandemic, there was an increase in the use of fruits (p = 0.000), vegetables, and nuts (p = 0.001), while the use of fast food and alcohol have decreased. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in the use of dietary supplements was observed (40.2%), (p = 0.008).ConclusionsGiven that the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, certain changes in lifestyle observed in this study should be confirmed in more extensive population studies.

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BackgroundThe aims of our study are related to examining the relevance of teachers' attitudes toward the implementation of inclusive education. In addition, its subject is related to the implications on inclusive education policies, limitations of the existing study along with the recommendations for our future research endeavors.MethodsThe research is a cross-sectional study type. The sample included 64 primary school teachers in the lower grades of primary school (grades 1–4), selected by using simple random sampling, in three primary schools on the territory of Belgrade, Serbia in 2021 (26, 17, and 21 primary school teachers). The Questionnaire for Teachers, which was used as a research instrument, was taken from the Master's Thesis Studen Rajke, which was part of the project “Education for the Knowledge Society” at the Institute for Educational Research in Belgrade. Dependent variables measured in the study referred to the attitudes of primary school teachers toward inclusive education. Categorical variables are represented as frequencies and the Chi-square test was used to determine if a distribution of observed frequencies differed from the expected frequencies.ResultsOne in three teachers (32.8%) thought that inclusion was useful for children with disabilities (29.7%), of them thought that schools did not have the conditions for inclusive education, whereas one in four teachers (25.0%) believed that inclusion was not good. No statistically significant differences were found in the attitudes of professors, when observed in terms of their gender, age and length of service.ConclusionInvesting more resources and time in developing and implementing special education policies can promote successful inclusive education.

Rural areas have been facing distinctive challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. As in other parts of the world, in the Republic of Serbia noticed movement of people from places with high concentration of settlements, like cities, into less densely populated communities. Searching for rural, natural, wild areas far away from cities, tourists made different pressures on local environment (sound, litter, pressure on natural resources, pollution) but also increased demands for healthier way of living in accordance with World Health Organization recommendation during the Covid 19 period. Besides a clear environment, they would like to enjoy locally produced food and wild edible plants as a source of minerals, vitamins and other functional substances for strengthening immunity. Using standard botanical questionnaire, the research was conducted in selected rural areas with the aim to create a list of the most wanted wild edible plants by tourists and to overview their potential contribution to immune system strengthening in the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Changes in Fitness index values, monitored by the Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (UKK) Walking test, were examined in this study due to its practical application in the assessment of aerobic capacity, especially after planned wellness activities of moderate intensity. This research is designed as a quasi-experimental uncontrolled before and after study, and according to it, Fitness index values obtained by the UKK test and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated before and after 8 weeks of planned wellness activities (recreational swimming). After the wellness activity, the average Fitness index value was increased by 1.13% (the difference was statistically significant with p = 0.000) while BMI value was significantly decreased by 1.82% (p = 0.000). Considering our results, the Fitness index could have practical importance for the assessment of endurance performance in man. That means that Fitness index can be used for estimating aerobic capacity and effect of wellness on health improvement and disease prevention.