Physical activity of children and adolescents from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction and objective. Systematic monitoring of physical activity of young populations from different regions may be useful for making international comparisons, better understanding trends in physical activity and designing public health interventions to increase physical activity. Thus, the aim of the study was to comprehensively review studies examining the level of physical activity of children and adolescents from the Visegrád countries, and indicate the percentage of children and adolescents meeting the recommended level of physical activity. Materials and method. A systematic search of the published literature was conducted. Included were reports with original research that consisted of the proportion of children and adolescents who met physical activity recommendations or guidelines. To provide a current picture of physical activity of children and adolescents, the review was restricted to studies published between January 2015-November 2018. Results. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity recommendations were met by between 7.5%-69.4% of children and adolescents. Vigorous physical activity recommendations were met by between 33.6%-64.5% of children and adolescents. Daily recommendations for the number of steps taken were fulfilled by between 11.6%-69.0% of children and adolescents. Differences between age categories, genders and countries were observed. Conclusions. Public health interventions to increase physical activity are required to decrease insufficient levels of physical activity in children and adolescents, especially in girls. The review also highlights the need for studies with representative random samples that use validated measurement methods.

The Differences in Physical Activity Preferences and Practices among High versus Low Active Adolescents in Secondary Schools

“…Chronic insufficient physical activity (PA) among adolescents has been observed across continents [1][2][3]. Insufficient PA among adolescents has been documented in summary reviews of the European Union countries [4,5] and regional studies in Visegrád countries, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia [6], Germany [7], Sweden [8], and Slovenia [9], as well as in other countries.…”

Changes in the body composition of boys aged 11–18 years due to COVID-19 measures in the Czech Republic

“…The Health Behavior in School-aged Adolescents (HBSC) study reported that only 23.1% of boys and 14.0% of girls between the ages of 13 and 15 years adhered to the WHO’s PA recommendations [ 67 ]. In Central European countries (the Visegrad Group), the recommendations were met by 8.0–32.3% of adolescents in the Czech Republic, 8.5-14.6% of adolescents in Hungary, 7.5-69.4% of adolescents in Poland and 25.1% of adolescents in Slovakia [ 28 ]. The implementation of COVID-19 measures further reduced the time that adolescents engaged in PA [ 47 ].…”

Taste preferences of preschoolers and parents’ contribution to shaping their children’s eating habits in the context of obesity development

“…There is a need to improve patterns of physical activity at the individual and population levels. Assessment of the level of physical activity of children and adolescents from the Visegrad countries -Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia -showed that a large part of them, especially girls, did not comply with the recommendations regarding physical activity [46]. As far as school-age children are concerned, the COSI study [47] conducted in 2016 in 135 Polish schools showed that systemic and social solutions are necessary, both in rural and urban areas, in terms of infrastructure.…”