Obesity is a serious health problem in nearly all regions of Europe. During the last four decades, the percentage of obese people increased four times among men and twice among women, reaching a global epidemic scale as the biggest health-related issue in the developed and developing countries. The aim was to assess the epidemiological situation of obesity, according to gender among adults in Europe, compared with other regions and selected worldwide countries, as well as to devise a forecast for the near future based on analysis results. An overview was performed of the World Health Organization (WHO) statistical database in 1999-2016, concerning obesity prevalence among people over the age of 20 across 28 countries of the European Union. A forecast for the years 2020 and 2030 was prepared by evaluation of gradients for trendline equations. Moreover, some of the world regions, as well as individual countries, five per region, were collated and analyzed to prepare the forecast. The percentage of obese people in the countries of the European Union continues to increase every year. The dynamics of obesity growth in Europe is greater for men than for women (3.09% per year vs. 1.92% per year). With the growth rate remaining at the estimated level, in 2030 there will probably be more obese men (38.1%) than women (32.7%) in Poland, and in Europe likewise - 36.6% and 32.0%, respectively. Obesity has become a major epidemiological problem and an undisputable health problem not only in Poland and other European countries, but worldwide.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine adolescents’ perceptions of parental, teacher, and peer support for physical activity, and to examine the associations between these perceptions and physical activity behavior. Methods: The study included 902 secondary school students, who completed the Short Scale of Youth’s Social Support Assessment (SSYSS). The level of physical activity – more specifically, moderate to vigorous physical activity – was measured using a Physical Activity Screening Measure. The associations were examined by a five-step hierarchical regression. Body mass index (BMI) was defined using the LMS method, which summarizes the distribution of BMI by age and gender in terms of three curves, L (lambda), M (mu), and S (sigma), and was based on a nationally representative sample of Polish children and adolescents. Results: The study indicated a positive correlation between MVPA (moderate to vigorous physical activity) and three sources of social support; however, in the regression model, this explained only part of the variance. In the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, MVPA level was predicted by five variables involvement in sports training, teachers support, parents support, gender and BMI. The direct effects for teachers and parents support were similar. This demonstrates that both teachers’ and parents’ social support exert influence on adolescent MVPA. Conclusions: The findings from this research suggest that school-based interventions for adolescents should specifically take into consideration family, teachers, and peers as important sources of social support for general physical activity promotion that aims to increase its levels.

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.

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between physical activity (PA) and different goal setting and strategies in youth. The study took into consideration different sources of support as well as gender variations. Classmate and Teacher Support scales were used to evaluate support in physical education (PE) classes, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was reported. Garmin Vivofit^® activity trackers were used during an 8 week-long intervention to count daily steps. Data was collected from 65 adolescents (mean age 17.2 ± 0.2), 74 young adolescents (mean age 15.3 ± 0.2) and 57 children (mean age 11.5 ± 0.4). An experimental design was employed, with “goal” and “do your best” groups given different step goal strategies. The results show that both groups achieved a comparable number of steps. Two-way ANOVA showed interactional effects between gender and teacher support. There were no such effects for MVPA and number of steps. Although classmate support in PE was reported to be reasonably high, the findings show that it does not play a significant role in increasing MVPA behaviors in youths. However, the problem of significantly lower support given to adolescent girls by PE teachers should be embedded into the teaching context of PE students and counteracted in school setting realities.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of implementation and Physical Education (PE) teachers’ perceived advantages, disadvantages, and encountered difficulties of online PE teaching during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 1148 professionally active PE teachers from Poland, North Macedonia, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Kosovo (613 female, 535 male). A cross-sectional online survey study was performed between May and September 2020 and was done online through an electronic questionnaire. Study results suggest differences in evaluation of online teaching between PE teachers from different countries: a positive evaluation of online teaching reported from teachers from Croatia, Poland, and Bulgaria, neutral in Turkey, and a negative evaluation during that period by teachers in Macedonia and Kosovo. Different ratings of advantages, disadvantages, and difficulties from the studied countries in online teaching in primary and secondary schools were also noted. A lack of proper equipment at home, a lack of proper training for information technology (IT) use, as well as use of different platforms for online teaching were among the highest-ranked difficulties during online teaching. The greatest concerns during online PE teaching were identified in terms of pupils’ safety, the intellectual property of resources, and the quality of curriculum delivery. The results from the study identify the most important areas of teachers work where PE should be supported regarding online teaching.

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the motives for undertaking physical activity (PA) and the intensity of PA in Polish adolescents. Methods. The study included 1,231 students, 515 boys (age 16.2 ± 0.7 years) and 716 girls (age 16.3 ± 0.6 years). The participants were recruited from secondary schools in 20 conurbations throughout Poland. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form and the Motives for Physical Activity Measure-Revised were used. Results. In boys, all motives predicted a 10.4% variance in vigorous intensity of PA (F(5, 509) = 11.822, p < .001). Higher scores on competence and appearance motives for PA were found to be predictors of higher level of vigorous intensity of PA. In girls, all motives explained a 7.4% variance in vigorous intensity of PA (F(5, 710) = 11.292, p < .001). Higher scores on competence and appearance motives for PA were found to be predictors of higher level of vigorous intensity of PA. Conclusions. This study shows that competence and appearance related motives for PA are important motivations for Polish adolescent girls and boys in undertaking vigorous intensity PA.