Dietary behaviour of students from Poznan universities

The problem raised in the study relates to the eating habits of students and their relations with the body mass index (BMI). The effect of selected sociodemographic variables (sex, place of residence, material status, field of study) on eating habits of the respondents was also analysed. The structure of the Dietary Behaviour Index (DBI) was proposed and its relations to the BMI were established.Material and methods. The study covered 508 students of state and private universities in Poznań (Poland) of whom 73% were female and 27% male. The study used an anonymous questionnaire poll on the basic dietary habits developed on the basis of the Food Pyramid guidelines as well as the Golden Charter of Correct Nutrition. The BMI was calculated on the students’ self-reported weight and height.Results. 15% of the participating students are overweight or obese. The distribution of the BMI differs between men and women (p<.000). Particularly unfavourable behaviour was noted in terms of the consumption of legumes (72% of respondents), fish (53%), dairy products (36%), vegetables (29%) and fruit (27%). Beneficial trends relate to the everyday consumption of breakfast (63%), the number of meals per day (59%), limiting the consumption of red meat (59%), including vegetable fats in the daily diet (56%). The difference in the way of eating described by the DBI is related to the field of study (p<.001) as physical education students had the best indicators.Conclusions. In the studied group of students overweight and obesity are not as frequent as in other countries of Western Europe or America. We noted a number of dietary mistakes made by the respondents, which can lead to adverse health consequences in the future. During the university studies, not only in the fields related to health, information promoting pro-health lifestyle should appear more often

The Impact of Brain Breaks Classroom-Based Physical Activities on Attitudes toward Physical Activity in Polish School Children in Third to Fifth Grade

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Brain Breaks® Physical Activity Solutions in changing attitudes toward physical activity of school children in a community in Poland. In 2015, a sample of 326 pupils aged 9–11 years old from 19 classes at three selected primary schools were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups within the study. During the classes, children in the experimental group performed physical activities two times per day in three to five minutes using Brain Breaks® videos for four months, while the control group did not use the videos during the test period. Students’ attitudes toward physical activities were assessed before and after the intervention using the “Attitudes toward Physical Activity Scale”. Repeated measures of ANOVA were used to examine the change from pre- to post-intervention. Overall, a repeated measures ANOVA indicated time-by-group interaction effects in ‘Self-efficacy on learning with video exercises’, F(1.32) = 75.28, p = 0.00, η2 = 0.19. Although the changes are minor, there were benefits of the intervention. It may be concluded that HOPSports Brain Breaks® Physical Activity Program contributes to better self-efficacy on learning while using video exercise of primary school children

Physical literacy in Europe: The current state of implementation in research, practice, and policy

Background/objective The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) embraces different person-centered qualities (physical, cognitive, affective/psychological) necessary to lead physically active lifestyles. PL has recently gained increasing attention globally and Europe is no exception. However, scientific endeavors summarizing the current state of PL in Europe are lacking. Therefore, the goal of this study was to comprehensively assess and compare the implementation of PL in research, policy, and practice across the continent. Methods We assembled a panel of experts representing 25 European countries. Employing a complementary mixed-methods design, the experts first prepared reviews about the current state of PL in their countries (categories: research, practice/policy). The reviews underwent comparative document analysis, ensuring a transnational four-eyes principle. For re-validation purposes, the representatives completed a quantitative survey with questions reflecting the inductive themes from the document analysis. Results The document analysis resulted in ten disjunct themes (related to “concept”, “research”, “practice/policy”, “future/prospect”) and yielded a heterogenous PL situation in Europe. The implementation state was strongly linked to conceptual discussions (e.g., existence of competing approaches), linguistic issues (e.g., translations), and country-specific traditions. Despite growing scholarly attention, PL hesitantly permeates practice and policy in most countries. Nevertheless, the experts largely anticipate increasing popularity of PL for the future. Conclusion Despite the heterogeneous situation across Europe, the analysis has uncovered similarities among the countries, such as the presence of established yet not identical concepts. Research should intensify academic activities (conceptual-linguistic elaborations, empirical work) before PL may gain further access into practical and political spheres in the long term

Quo Vadis, Medicus? Health Behaviour Among Health Professionals and Students

The book discusses the health condition of Polish current and future health professionals. The study was conducted on around 800 medical staff members (in-training and professional). The author analyses nutrition behaviour, physical activity, smoking, drinking alcohol and their psycho-social determinants (health self-assessment, value of health, health locus of control, health related self-efficacy). The educational and behavioural needs of the investigated group depend on career stage and profession. As a result, there is a need for health promotional programs targeting carefully chosen medical staff groups, with an emphasis on their special health needs. The expectation that physicians or other medical professionals will heal themselves proves to be futile in this part of Europe. This should be a starting point in a discussion about the role of health providers in modelling health behaviours and health promotion counselling for their patients. Reflection is needed especially among health related professionals in different institutions (e.g., universities, schools, hospitals), health societies and non-profit organisations involved in health promotion, insurance and health companies

Health Behaviours and Their Determinants among Physical Education and Pedagogy Students as well as School Teachers – a Comparison Study

The aim of this study is to analyze social and individual determinants of health behaviour. The following factors are evaluated: nutrition, physical activity (PA) and smoking behaviour. The examined determinants of health behavior include: health-specific self-efficacy and health locus of control. Material and Methods: The survey was carried out among 298 students at state and private universities in Poznań and 342 teachers in primary and secondary schools in the Wielkopolska Province in Poland. The author’s questionnaire was used to assess nutrition and smoking status and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) served to evaluate PA. The health related self-efficacy questionnaires and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHCL) were employed. Results and Conclusion: Health oriented physical education studies favour a more healthy lifestyle both during the studies and employment. The worst health behaviour patterns have been found among pedagogy students. The issue of healthy life style should be given more prominence in the curriculum at the undergraduate level to better develop health-sensitive personality in future teachers

Is social support during physical education lessons associated with body mass index status, gender and age?

There are findings suggesting that social support could impact the physical activity (PA) levels of adolescents, depending on age and biological gender. Simultaneously, some studies report the relationship between social support and Body Mass Index (BMI) status. Because of the limited information available regarding the influence of social support regarding students of different ages, BMI status and gender, this study examined the associations between two social support sources (classmates and physical education [PE] teachers) and BMI status among the youth in Poznan, Poland. Body mass and height of 284 adolescents (girls=136; boys=148) aged 10-17.5 years were measured. BMI was used to classify participants as underweight, normal weight and overweight. Classmate and Teacher Support Scales were used to determine the level of social support. Descriptive statistics, a three-way ANOVA, and Tuckey’s HSD post hoc test were applied. Findings indicated a statistically significant two-way interaction effect of age and BMI status on classmate support (p<0.002) and also on PE teacher support (p<0.03). The results provide a better understanding of age-related and BMI status-related changes in social support received by students during PE lessons and might provide a basis for the future teaching context of PE students.Keywords: Body Mass Index; Classmate support; Teacher support; Gender; Age; Yout

Physical literacy in Europe: The current state of implementation in research, practice, and policy

Background/objective: The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) embraces different person-centered qualities (physical, cognitive, affective/psychological) necessary to lead physically active lifestyles. PL has recently gained increasing attention globally and Europe is no exception. However, scientific endeavors summarizing the current state of PL in Europe are lacking. Therefore, the goal of this study was to comprehensively assess and compare the implementation of PL in research, policy, and practice across the continent. Methods: We assembled a panel of experts representing 25 European countries. Employing a complementary mixed-methods design, the experts first prepared reviews about the current state of PL in their countries (categories: research, practice/policy). The reviews underwent comparative document analysis, ensuring a transnational four-eyes principle. For re-validation purposes, the representatives completed a quantitative survey with questions reflecting the inductive themes from the document analysis. Results: The document analysis resulted in ten disjunct themes (related to “concept”, “research”, “practice/policy”, “future/prospect”) and yielded a heterogenous PL situation in Europe. The implementation state was strongly linked to conceptual discussions (e.g., existence of competing approaches), linguistic issues (e.g., translations), and country-specific traditions. Despite growing scholarly attention, PL hesitantly permeates practice and policy in most countries. Nevertheless, the experts largely anticipate increasing popularity of PL for the future. Conclusion: Despite the heterogeneous situation across Europe, the analysis has uncovered similarities among the countries, such as the presence of established yet not identical concepts. Research should intensify academic activities (conceptual-linguistic elaborations, empirical work) before PL may gain further access into practical and political spheres in the long term