engleski

Trend of the cardiorespiratory fitness of the eighth grade students of primary schools in the period from 1999 to 2012

The main aim of this study was to show the trend of the cardiorespiratory fitness in eighth-grade students between 1999 and 2012. In the world and in Croatia, there are decreasing levels of physical activity among children and youth, especially in adolescence. Not enough is known about the trend in the level of the cardiorespiratory fitness among children of primary school age in the Republic of Croatia in the period of the last 15 years. The participant sample consisted of a total of 687 subjects (304 male students and 383 female students) of the eighth grade of primary schools in Zagreb. The 6-minute run tests were conducted as initial testing at the beginning of the school year, and the results are shown in meters. The test assesses the level of cardiorespiratory fitness. The data show that the results of the 6-minute run tests in schoolgirls in 1999 (1178.1 ± 174.5 m) were significantly better than the results in 2012 (1030.2 ± 205 m). Also, the boys recorded better results in 1999 (1281.9 ± 163.9 m) than in 2012 (1185.6 ± 200.3 m). It may be concluded that, in general, each subsequent generation is getting worse in cardiorespiratory fitness and that we must take all the necessary measures on the national level to solve this problem.

6-minute run test, adolescence, functional abilities

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