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Background: The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between cognitive abilities and manual coordination and balance in preschool children. Methods: The sample consisted of 41 preschool children aged 6.4±0.8 on average, of both sexes (30 boys and 11 girls). On top of their regular preschool activities, the children attended a school of sports for preschool children - multisport activities and exercises, twice a week. The sample of measuring instruments comprised 4 motor tests (One-leg stand test, Mann’s test, Finger to nose, Front raises) and 2 cognitive tests (Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices, Cognitive Assessment System). Data was analyzed by applying Linear and Binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Based on the results of the research, one may conclude that there is a statistically significant relation between cognitive abilities and manual coordination in the tested sample of preschool children. The defined predictor system, which consisted of cognitive tests, showed a significant relationship with the hand coordination test, which was assessed by the Finger to Nose test with the eyes closed. A significant contribution to the established relation was given by the G factor estimated by Raven's colored progressive matrices. Conclusions: Physical activities contribute to the development of motor skills and thus to the development of some cognitive abilities in children, which is of great importance for their further development.
Filip Sadri; Ivo Sadri; Željko Krneta; Jovana Trbojević Jocić; Maja Batez; Novi Sad Matica Srpska. Relationship between cognitive abilities and manual coordination and balance in preschool children. Exercise and Quality of Life 2021, 13, 31 -38.
AMA StyleFilip Sadri, Ivo Sadri, Željko Krneta, Jovana Trbojević Jocić, Maja Batez, Novi Sad Matica Srpska. Relationship between cognitive abilities and manual coordination and balance in preschool children. Exercise and Quality of Life. 2021; 13 (1):31-38.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFilip Sadri; Ivo Sadri; Željko Krneta; Jovana Trbojević Jocić; Maja Batez; Novi Sad Matica Srpska. 2021. "Relationship between cognitive abilities and manual coordination and balance in preschool children." Exercise and Quality of Life 13, no. 1: 31-38.
Integrated neuromuscular training (INT) showed benefits for improving fundamental movement skills (FMS). However, the INT health-related fitness (HRF) effects are lacking. The current study aimed to determine the effects of INT implemented during physical education (PE) in a primary school in the Republic of Serbia on HRF in female children. The sample consisted of 72 healthy girls who were divided into the intervention (EG: n = 37; mean ± SD: age = 8.17 ± 0.31) and control (CG: n = 35; age = 8.11 ± 0.31) groups. The EG and CG performed the INT program and traditional PE activities two times per week within the first ~15 min of PE class, respectively. The Fitnessgram battery tests assessed the HRF (body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular fitness, and flexibility) before and after the program. After eight weeks, the EG significantly reduced all fat measures, while the CG decreased only triceps skinfold but to a smaller extent (F = 5.92, p < 0.02, ŋ 2 = 0.09). Both groups significantly improved the performance of almost all muscular fitness tests (curl-ups, trunk lift, push-ups); however, the EG increased the push-ups more than the CG (F = 9.01, p < 0.01, ŋ 2 = 0.14). The EG additionally improved the modified pull-ups (F = 14.09, p < 0.01, ŋ 2 = 0.19) and flexed arm hang (F = 28.82, p < 0.01, ŋ 2 = 0.33) tests. The flexibility and cardiorespiratory endurance of both groups did not significantly change after eight weeks. This approach of exercise showed positive acceptance and relatively good results after only eight weeks.
Marijana Sinđić; Draženka Mačak; Nikola Todorović; Bianka Purda; Maja Batez. Effect of Integrated Neuromuscular Exercise in Physical Education Class on Health-Related Fitness in Female Children. Healthcare 2021, 9, 312 .
AMA StyleMarijana Sinđić, Draženka Mačak, Nikola Todorović, Bianka Purda, Maja Batez. Effect of Integrated Neuromuscular Exercise in Physical Education Class on Health-Related Fitness in Female Children. Healthcare. 2021; 9 (3):312.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarijana Sinđić; Draženka Mačak; Nikola Todorović; Bianka Purda; Maja Batez. 2021. "Effect of Integrated Neuromuscular Exercise in Physical Education Class on Health-Related Fitness in Female Children." Healthcare 9, no. 3: 312.
Background: Monitoring of physical activity within the educational institution is of great importance, primarily because of the orientation and content implemented in the daycare. This research aimed to examine the number of steps children took during their stay in daycare with regards to age, gender and the frequency of going out. Methods: The research was conducted in four daycares in the urban environment of Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia), where 231 children, aged 5 to 7, were monitored (129 boys and 102 girls). Data on the number of steps were obtained using the pedometers. Results: The result of the univariate analysis of the variance test confirmed a statistically significant difference in the number of steps in relation to the age of children (p = 0.04). Boys were more active than girls in both age groups (p = 0.001). Children who were going to the daycare yard three to five times a week took drastically more steps than children who went up to twice a week (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the current study show that age, gender, and time spent outdoors are significant determinants of physical activity in preschool age. Therefore, interventions regarding physical activity should be made during early childhood in order to promote health and prevent disease.
Milenko Janković; Maja Batez; Dušan Stupar; Jelena Obradović; Nebojša Trajković. Physical Activity of Serbian Children in Daycare. Children 2021, 8, 161 .
AMA StyleMilenko Janković, Maja Batez, Dušan Stupar, Jelena Obradović, Nebojša Trajković. Physical Activity of Serbian Children in Daycare. Children. 2021; 8 (2):161.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMilenko Janković; Maja Batez; Dušan Stupar; Jelena Obradović; Nebojša Trajković. 2021. "Physical Activity of Serbian Children in Daycare." Children 8, no. 2: 161.
Background: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic has generated significant changes in teaching methods around the world, and the ideal of online education has become a reality. (2) Methods: A questionnaire was modified for this study in order to determine the following levels of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) skills: file creation, file management, the use of emails, the use of the internet, and online communication. In total, 360 students from the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education (FSPE), University of Novi Sad, participated in the study. (3) Results: The results show that there are differences between the estimated level of ICT skills and the ICT skills used in online education, such that students estimate their level of ICT skills as being higher than is necessary for online education (p < 0.05). There is also a correlation between the satisfaction with online education and ICT skills, showing that students with higher ICT knowledge are more satisfied with online education (p < 0.05). There is another correlation between the satisfaction with online education and the frequency of ICT use—the more ICTs are included, the more satisfied the students will be (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: The results of this study can serve as a recommendation for the implementation of FSPE students’ training in ICT skills, as well as an important basis for the systematic creation, improvement, and sustainability of online education in universities.
Maja Batez. ICT Skills of University Students from the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1711 .
AMA StyleMaja Batez. ICT Skills of University Students from the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):1711.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaja Batez. 2021. "ICT Skills of University Students from the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 1711.
This study investigated the effects of the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) model implemented in physical education classes on volleyball skills and enjoyment in secondary school students. A total of 54 students (18 girls) from two classes participated in this study, of whom 28 (age = 15.5 ± 0.7 years) were randomized to a TGfU model (EXP) group and 26 (age = 15.7 ± 0.6 years) to a control group (CON) that maintained their usual physical-education activities. Four tests for volleyball skills were conducted: service, overhead, and forearm passing and setting. Additionally, the sport enjoyment questionnaire was used the first and the last week of intervention. Results from repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant interaction for overhead passing (F 1, 58 = 5.273, p = 0.025, Partial ƞ2 = 0.083) and forearm passing (F 1, 58 = 4.641, p = 0.035, Partial ƞ2 = 0.074). When examining the impact of TGfU program on service accuracy, there was a significant main effect for time (p < 0.01) with both groups improving their result after the six-weeks intervention (EXP-ES = 0.32, % change = 9.1% vs. CON-ES = 0.57, % change = 14.4%). There were no significant time or group x time effects for setting (p ˃ 0.05). The EXP group showed significantly better results for enjoyment compared to the CON group (p ≤ 0.05). The findings show the effectiveness of the TGfU model of short duration (12 lessons) in an educational context to improve volleyball skills. We also highlight the importance of enjoyment during these classes compared to traditional physical education classes.
Maja Batez; Tanja Petrušič; Špela Bogataj; Nebojša Trajković. Effects of Teaching Program Based on Teaching Games for Understanding Model on Volleyball Skills and Enjoyment in Secondary School Students. Sustainability 2021, 13, 606 .
AMA StyleMaja Batez, Tanja Petrušič, Špela Bogataj, Nebojša Trajković. Effects of Teaching Program Based on Teaching Games for Understanding Model on Volleyball Skills and Enjoyment in Secondary School Students. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (2):606.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaja Batez; Tanja Petrušič; Špela Bogataj; Nebojša Trajković. 2021. "Effects of Teaching Program Based on Teaching Games for Understanding Model on Volleyball Skills and Enjoyment in Secondary School Students." Sustainability 13, no. 2: 606.
Background: A new method using blood pressure-to-height ratio for diagnosing elevated blood pressure/hypertension in children has been introduced recently. We aimed to compare blood pressure-to-height ratio (BPHR) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in predicting incidence of hypertension (HTN). Methods: The sample consisted of 1133 boys and 1154 girls aged 7–15. We used the following equations for BPHR: systolic BPHR (SBPHR) = SBP (mm Hg)/height (cm) and diastolic BPHR (DBPHR) = DBP (mm Hg)/height (cm). In order to determine the accuracy of SBPHR, DBPHR and BMI as diagnostic tests for elevated blood pressure (elevated BP), we used the receiveroperating characteristic curve analyses. Results: The area under the curve (AUC) values for BMI ranged from 0.625 to 0.723 with quite low sensitivity rates from 62% to 72.5% and specificities from 58.2% to 67.3% showing a modest ability to identify children with elevated BP and HTN. On the contrary, BPHR showed a great predictive ability to identify elevated BP and HTN with AUC values of 0.836 to 0.949 for SBP and from 0.777 to 0.904 for DBP. Furthermore, the sensitivity ranged from 78.5% to 95.7%, and the specificity from 73.9% to 87.6%. Conclusion: the current study showed that BPHR is an accurate index for detecting elevated BP and HTN in children aged 7 to 15 years and can be used for early screening.
Valerija Puškaš; Rada Rakić; Maja Batez; Dejan Sakač; Tatjana Pavlica. Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure-to-Height Ratio in Predicting Incidence of Hypertension in Serbian Children. Children 2020, 7, 254 .
AMA StyleValerija Puškaš, Rada Rakić, Maja Batez, Dejan Sakač, Tatjana Pavlica. Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure-to-Height Ratio in Predicting Incidence of Hypertension in Serbian Children. Children. 2020; 7 (12):254.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValerija Puškaš; Rada Rakić; Maja Batez; Dejan Sakač; Tatjana Pavlica. 2020. "Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure-to-Height Ratio in Predicting Incidence of Hypertension in Serbian Children." Children 7, no. 12: 254.
Background and objectives: The effectiveness of short-term focused educational programs to change health behaviors across large populations seems to be poorly described so far. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate an age-specific 45-min educational program, designed in accordance with the current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines and physical activity (PA) guidelines, among adolescents and adults. Materials and Methods: We evaluated the health-promoting lifestyle habits by the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II) at baseline and following 6–8 weeks post-education in a nationally representative sample of Serbian adolescents and adults (n = 3822). Results: The percentage of adolescents eating 3–5 servings of vegetables per day increased at follow-up (20.1% versus 23.1%, p = 0.001), with significantly more adolescents regularly reading food labels (from 12.2% at baseline to 14.2% at follow-up; p = 0.02). Taken together, mean HPLP-II scores in adolescents significantly improved for both diet (0.05 points; p < 0.0001) and PA (0.09 points; p < 0.0001), and for PA in adults (0.08 points; p < 0.0001). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that our model as a whole (including time of testing as a predictor variable, and age and gender as control variables) explained 3.0% of the variance in mean HPLP-II scores for diet (p = 0.942) and 3.0% for PA (p = 0.285) in adolescents, and 1.1% of the variance in HPLP-II scores for diet (p = 0.781) and 1.9% for PA (p = 0.075) in adults, respectively. Conclusions: It appears that a brief focused education can positively tackle unhealthy lifestyles in promoting good health in general population. Different modes of interactive communication used here appeared to strengthen participants’ capacities for lifestyle changes.
Višnja Đorđić; Predrag Božić; Ivana Milanović; Snežana Radisavljević; Maja Batez; Jagoda Jorga; Sergej M. Ostojić. Guidelines-Driven Educational Intervention Promotes Healthy Lifestyle Among Adolescents and Adults: A Serbian National Longitudinal Study. Medicina 2019, 55, 39 .
AMA StyleVišnja Đorđić, Predrag Božić, Ivana Milanović, Snežana Radisavljević, Maja Batez, Jagoda Jorga, Sergej M. Ostojić. Guidelines-Driven Educational Intervention Promotes Healthy Lifestyle Among Adolescents and Adults: A Serbian National Longitudinal Study. Medicina. 2019; 55 (2):39.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVišnja Đorđić; Predrag Božić; Ivana Milanović; Snežana Radisavljević; Maja Batez; Jagoda Jorga; Sergej M. Ostojić. 2019. "Guidelines-Driven Educational Intervention Promotes Healthy Lifestyle Among Adolescents and Adults: A Serbian National Longitudinal Study." Medicina 55, no. 2: 39.