The aim of the study was to examine changes in obesity prevalence among primary school children in Serbia between 2015 and 2019 rounds of the national WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI-Serbia). Cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2015 and 2019. The nationally representative samples of primary school children were measured for body height and weight, following the COSI protocol. Body Mass Index was calculated, and the IOTF and WHO definitions were used to classify children as overweight or obese. Participants were children of both sexes aged 7.00–8.99 years (n = 6105). Significant differences in overweight (obesity included) prevalence between two COSI rounds were identified regardless of definitions applied. According to the WHO definitions, prevalence of overweight and obesity combined increased in 7–9-year-old children in Serbia from 30.7% in 2015 to 34.8% in 2019 (z = −3.309, p < 0.05), and according to the IOTF standards, the increase from 22.8% to 30% was registered (z = −6.08, p = 0.00). The childhood overweight/obesity rate is increasing in Serbia, which places monitoring and surveillance of children’s nutritional status high on the public health agenda.

The main aim of this study is to examine age and gender differences in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) among Serbian secondary school children. The secondary aim is to explore the association between CRF and quality of life in Serbian adolescents. The sample consisted of 579 adolescents (285 males), aged from 14 to 18 years old. To evaluate their anthropometric measurements, body height and body weight were examined, the 20 m shuttle run test was used to access CRF, and the standardized global measure of wellbeing KIDSCREEN was used to access the wellbeing of adolescents. The results show that the boys possessed higher CRF compared to the girls, as well as higher scores on variable distance, but there were no significant differences according to age. CRF was positively associated with physical wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, total score HRQL, body height and body weight, and negatively correlated with BMI. Conversely, physical wellbeing showed positive correlation with the other subscales of KIDSCREEN (psychological wellbeing, autonomy and parents, peers and social support, and school environment), and total score of (Health–Related Quality of Life) HRQL. The results showed that better CRF would be beneficial for quality of life among Serbian adolescents, especially among girls. Moreover, the relationship between CRF and BMI shows that adolescents with regular values of BMI have better physical fitness and wellbeing.

(1) Background: The aim of this study is to investigate whether the application of adaptive sports programs, initially designed for children with disabilities, can have a positive effect on physical fitness and body composition in healthy primary school children; (2) Methods: The sample comprised 80 participants, equally divided by gender (50% male, 50% female), with a mean age of 11.5 (SD = 0.03). They were divided into two groups, an experimental and a control group, with an even gender distribution. The research lasted 12 weeks, with additional classes allocated for the initial and the final measurements. The Eurofit test battery assessed physical fitness; (3) Results: ANCOVA revealed significant group differences in body composition variables within the total sample and gender distribution (p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed in handgrip strength (HGR), flamingo balance test (FBL), shuttle run 10 × 5 m (SHR) (p < 0.001), and also hand tapping (HTP) (p = 0.01). Participants in the experimental group outperformed the control group, highlighting the effectiveness of the intervention program. Specifically, boys in the experimental group showed significant improvements in HGR and SHR (p < 0.001), while girls improved significantly in HGR, FBL, and SHR (p < 0.001); (4) Conclusions: The experimental program, which incorporates sports elements for disabled individuals, led to significant improvements in the physical fitness parameters of children.

Physical education of today faces many challenges, one of them being students’ medical exemption. Previous studies suggest that reasons for exemption from physical education might not be only medical, but related to students’ lack of motivation, miscommunication with PE teacher etc. The aim of the study was to examine the extent of the problem of medical exemption from physical education in secondary schools. The sample included 5226 students, 2068 males and 3158 females, from secondary schools in Novi Sad (Serbia). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square test. In addition a set of conversational interviews with PE teachers was conducted and analyzed. Total percentage of medically exempted students was 3.73%. A significant relation between gender and medical exemption was identified, while age and PE teachers’ gender were not significantly related to medical exemption. The results indicate that female students are more likely to be medically exempted from physical education in secondary school than their male counterparts. Qualitative data revealed that in addition to medical reasons, there might be others, as well: less interest in physical activity, instructional content that does not meet students’ needs, self-consciousness about physical appearance, girls’ perceptions of physical activity and sports as non-feminine, etc. PE teachers should plan for diverse and positive learning experiences for all student, while motivating them to develop an active lifestyle.

The aim of this study was to examine the validity of two types of OMRON body composition analysers (BF 511 and VIVA) in comparison with the InBody 270 body composition analyser, in karatekas. The measurements were performed during the summer national camp of the FUDO-KAN Karate Federation, and the sample of subjects included 20 men and 27 women (Age = 16 ± 5.99 years; Body height = 158 ± 14.13 cm; Body mass = 51 ± 17.29 kg), and the following body composition variables were used: body mass (BM), body fat percentage (%BF) and skeletal muscle mass percentage (%SMM), which were estimated using all three body composition scales. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and the coefficient of determination (r2) were used to determine the validity of both OMRON body composition analysers. A high correlation of BM InBody with BM OMRON (BF 511 – r 0.99, r2=0.99; VIVA – r=0.99, r2=0.99), %BF InBody with %BF BF 511 (r=0.92, r2=0.84), and %BF InBody with %BF VIVA (r=0.63, r2=0.40), %SMM InBody with %SMM BF 511 (r=0.68, r2=0.46) were observed. The results obtained indicate that there are certain deviations, especially when it comes to assessing skeletal muscle, when compared with the InBody 270 body composition scale.

The aim of this study was to identify achievements in motor tests and dietary habits as predictors of cardiovascular endurance among Medical rehabilitation students. The sample included 159 Medical rehabilitation students from Novi Sad, Serbia (37 males, 122 females) who attended physical education classes twice a week. The battery of tests from the applicable protocol and dietary questionnaire was used. The exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression were applied. The multiple regression analysis determined a statistically significant relationship between specific motor tests and the Shuttle Run Test (R=0.828, p=0.000), but no significant differences between the factors obtained for dietary and the Shuttle Run Test. The findings highlight the importance of tailored exercise and nutrition plans and education on healthy lifestyles and emphasize the need for further research to support overall health.