Knowing the current status of rhythmic gymnasts’ motor abilities allows a valid objective evaluation of their competitive preparedness and facilitate planning of their further development. The main objective was to determine possible differences in motor abilities of rhythmic gymnasts regarding program level they were competing in, their age and national ranking. Three groups of junior rhythmic gymnasts, competing in either A, B, or C level programs, were investigated. Both the multivariate analysis of variance and univariate analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences in the selected motor abilities regarding the program level (flexibility, strength and coordination). A-level rhythmic gymnasts scored best in all the tests assessing flexibility, coordination and strength. The differences in motor abilities between junior rhythmic gymnasts with regard to their national ranking showed no statistical significance, whereas age was statistically significant. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient revealed significant relations between certain motor abilities among rhythmic gymnasts in A, B and C level programs. The higher the level of a program, the higher the correlatives, and vice versa. Two tests had the largest contribution to the success achieved in the competition: the figure of eight with bending and forward bent on the bench. The scientific value of the proposed research is aimed at better planning, programming and control of training process in rhythmic gymnastics.

Authors' contribution Wkład autorów: A. Study design/planning zaplanowanie badań B. Data collection/entry zebranie danych C. Data analysis/statistics dane-analiza i statystyki D. Data interpretation interpretacja danych E. Preparation of manuscript przygotowanie artykułu F. literature analysis/search wyszukiwanie i analiza literatury G. Funds collection zebranie funduszy Summary Background. There are numerous benefits of undertaking regular physical activity on health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends for young people to undertake at least 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity daily. Despite the well-known health benefits of exercise, the levels of physically inactive young people are continuously increasing. A large number of studies have found a relationship between socioeconomic status and chronic disease. The aim of our study was to examine: the association between family socioeconomic status and adolescent physical activity and also to assess the link between social support and adolescents' physical activity and finally to examine whether there are any gender differences. Material and methods. There were 3396 final year secondary school students from 33 randomly selected secondary schools from Zagreb included in our study. The study was conducted from April 2015 to June 2016. Physical activity was measured using a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Socioeconomic status and family social support was assessed using questionnaires. Results. Boys were significantly more physically active than girls. The results of the logistic regression analysis did not determine a statistically significant association between the socioeconomic status and physical activity of the participants. Conclusions. Family social support and socioeconomic status were not positively related to physical activity in Croatian adolescents.

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