The Influence Of Urbanization Level Of Residence On The Health-Related Fitness Of University Students

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of place of residence on the health-related fitness (H-RF) of university students from Kielce, Poland. The research included 632 first-year students from the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce between 2015-2017. The research analyzed two basic components of H-RF─ morphological and circulatory-respiratory. In terms of the morphological component, body height and weight, as well as BMI were measured. In terms of the circulatory-respiratory component, the V̇O2max was calculated utilizing the Astrand test, that allows the assessment of V̇O2max in l / min and V̇O2max in ml / kg / min and PWC170. Data regarding place of permanent residence of the students and physical activity in their free time were collected using a questionnaire. In this respect, the urban and rural environment were distinguished. Using the Vigorous Physical Activity index, two categories of physical activity in free time were distinguished, i.e. moderate and low. The obtained results indicate a differentiation of H-RF of the student, both in relation to the place of permanent residence and physical activity in their free time, that was slightly more pronounced in men than in women. This may denote that men are more eco-sensitive, meaning that they might be more susceptible to the influence of environmental factors

Social Diversification of Overweight and Obesity in Adults in Poland

Overweight and obesity are connected with environmental factors to a greater degree than with genetic and psychological factors, because in their aetiology the focus is mostly on two factors, i.e. inappropriate diet and a sedentary lifestyle. This is an increasingly widespread phenomenon that harms the health and quality of life in adults, and also contributes to a decrease in their efficiency at work. The study aimed to evaluate the social diversification of overweight and obesity in adults living in different social environments in Swietokrzyskie region of Poland. The study was based on a questionnaire and observations, and encompassed 517 women and 515 men aged between 20 and 59 years. The questionnaire included questions about the characteristics of the social and family environment; while the observation involved anthropometric measurements of the basic somatic traits that were used to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), which in turn were used to evaluate the occurrence of overweight and obesity. The incidence of overweight and obese adults showed a clear increase with age and displayed considerable social diversification, especially in the case of the women, among whom a better financial situation and a higher level of education correlated with a more slender body shape and a smaller increase in the incidence of overweight and obesity. The increase in the number of overweight and obese adult persons who lived in the different social environments in Poland was only slightly smaller than the increase in other European countries. Overall, the social diversification of overweight and obesity in adult persons indicates that Polish women are more health-aware than men

Self-evaluation of health, quality of life and resourcefulness of life in elderly people

The aim of the article is the subjective evaluation of health, quality of life and resourcefulness of life by elderly people in respect to age, gender, and education, place of living and material situation. The study was conducted in 2010 on the areas of small and large districts in Świętokrzyskie and Mazowieckie Provinces. It comprised 186 people over the age of 60, including 106 women and 80 men who were divided into three age groups: 60-69 years of age, 70-79 years of age and 80+. The respondents were characterized by a relatively positive evaluation of their health and resourcefulness of life, whereas the quality of life clearly deteriorated with age, both in the women and men over the age of 60. The women assessed the quality of their life worse, what may relate to longer life rate and loneliness. Resourcefulness of life and satisfaction with life also significantly deteriorated with age and the factor which influenced the resourcefulness of life was mainly age.Celem pracy jest ocena zdrowia subiektywnego, jakości życia i zaradności życiowej osób starszych w odniesieniu do wieku, płci, poziomu wykształcenia, miejsce zamieszkania i sytuacji materialnej. Badania przeprowadzono w 2010 roku na terenie małych i dużych osiedli województwa świętokrzyskiego i mazowieckiego. Badaniami objęto 186 osób w wieku powyżej 60 lat, w tym 106 kobiet i 80 mężczyzn, których podzielono na trzy grupy wiekowe: 60-69 lat, 70-79 lat oraz 80+. Badane osoby cechowała stosunkowo dobra ocena swojego zdrowia i zaradności życiowej, a jakość życia wyraźnie pogarszała się wraz z wiekiem zarówno u kobiet jak i u mężczyzn po 60 r.ż. Przy czym gorzej oceniały swoją jakość życia kobiety, co może mieć związek z dłuższą ich przeżywalnością, a także samotnością. Także zaradność życiowa i zadowolenie z życia znacznie pogarszały się wraz z wiekiem, a czynnikiem wpływającym na pogarszanie zaradności życiowej był przede wszystkim wiek

Age and leisure time physical activity of males and their physical condition

Physical fitness is related to the general condition of the whole human body, not only its locomotor apparatus. Fitness determines the actual ability to perform all motor activities that decide about man's vigor. It results from the beneficial and detrimental influence of ordinary physical activity and is related to health. The authors evaluated diversification of health-related fitness in adult men in relation to their age and physical activity in leisure time. The study involved 841 men aged 20-59. It evaluated selected morphological, muscle, motor, and circulatory-respiratory components of health-related fitness (H-RF). The participants were classified into fo-ur age groups: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, and 50-59; and into three groups regarding physical activity in leisure time, characterized by: high, medium, and low physical activity. It was observed that higher physical activity in men in leisure time is linked to higher and preferable values of various health-related components of physical fitness. Physical activity in leisure time, similarly to age, is a factor that highly diversifies physical fitness in men. The study results reveal unequivocally that since hypokinesis (occurring from an early age) is a feature typical of the contemporary life, health benefits of physical activity in leisure time, in individual and social aspects, are undeniable.Sprawność fizyczna wiąże się ze stanem całego organizmu człowieka, a nie tylko z jego aparatem ruchu. Oznacza aktualną możliwość wykonywania wszelkich działań motorycznych, decydujących o zaradności człowieka w życiu. Jest efektem korzystnego i niekorzystnego wpływu zwykłej aktywności fizycznej, wykazując związek z poziomem stanu zdrowia. W pracy dokonano oceny zróżnicowania sprawności fizycznej w ujęciu zdrowia dorosłych mężczyzn w odniesieniu do wieku i ich aktywności fizycznej w czasie wolnym. Badaniami objęto 841 mężczyzn w wieku 20-59 lat, u których dokonano oceny wybranych komponentów morfologicznych, mięśniowych, motorycznych i krążeniowo-oddechowych spraw¬ności fizycznej w ujęciu zdrowia (H-RF). Wyróżniono cztery grupy wiekowe: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 i 50-59 lat, a w zakresie aktywności fizycznej w czasie wolnym trzy grupy: charakteryzujących się dużą, średnią i małą aktywnością fizyczną. Zaobserwowano, że wyższa aktywność fizyczna mężczyzn w czasie wolnym wiąże się z wyższymi i bardziej pożądanymi wartościami różnych komponentów sprawności fizycznej w ujęciu zdrowia. Aktywność fizyczna w czasie wolnym okazała się, podobnie jak wiek, czynnikiem silnie różnicującym sprawność fizyczną mężczyzn. Wyniki tych badań wskazują jednoznacznie na korzyści zdrowotne aktywności fizycznej w czasie wolnym zarówno w wymiarze jednostkowym, jak i społecznym, gdyż cechą współczesnego życia jest hipokinezja, występująca już od najwcześniejszych lat życia