Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on global tourism for at least two reasons: (1) imposed systematic travel restrictions that discourage people from traveling even though they would like to; and (2) increased travel anxiety due to the perceived risk of the COVID-19 virus, causing people to change their typical travel behavior. This study aims to explore the role of Covid-19 in shaping future travel behavior. More specifically, following the general model of vacation behavior and the role of risk in travel behavior, we investigate how COVID-19 influences travelers’ perceptions of risk and how this affects planned vacation behavior. The results show that COVID-19 risk perception per se influences typical forms of vacation behavior, but this risk also leads to the development of travel anxiety, which additionally influences only some forms of vacation behavior. Empirical findings show that general anxiety, which is not associated with Covid-19 risk perception, also predicts some forms of planned changes in vacation behaviour. The study concludes with recommendations on how to reduce traveler uncertainty in order to recover international leisure travel.

The aim of this study was to establish the role of maturation on the development of physical performance in adolescent athletes and nonathletes. The total studied sample consisted of 231 participants (131 athletes: 72 boys with an average chronological age of 13.53 ± 0.7 and 59 girls with an average chronological age of 11.97 ± 0.8; 100 nonathletes: 47 boys with an average chronological age of 13.73 ± 0.47 and 53 girls with an average chronological age of 11.93 ± 0.33), distributed according to their biological maturity stage (Pre-, Mid-, and Post-Peak Height Velocity [PHV]) and to their gender. The assessment of physical performance was performed using the following tests: Countermovement jump (CMJ), countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJA), squat jump (SJ), five-jump test (5JT), 5 m sprint (5 m), 10 m sprint (10 m), 20 m sprint (20 m), T-test, Zig Zag, and Slalom. The differences in athletes according to biological maturity were identified in all variables except for 5 m (p = 0.33) and Slalom (p = 0.07), while in nonathletes the differences were found in 5JT (p = 0.01), 5 m (p = 0.02), 10 m (p = 0.01), and 20 m (p = 0.01) tests. Additionally, a significant interaction of gender and biological maturity was detected for CMJ (p = 0.03), CMJA (p = 0.01), and Zig Zag (p = 0.05) in athletes. The findings of the current study confirm the importance of maturity status in the assessment of physical performance. As a consequence, a more rational selection of talented athletes could be provided, also enabling the timely development of physical performance in nonathletes as a “window of opportunity”.

The aim of the study is to examine the moderating role of sports performance in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and stress coping strategies. In a sample of 171 elite and 169 non-elite athletes, EI was found to be related to task-oriented strategies, and completely unrelated to emotion-oriented strategies. Sport performance moderates the relationship between managing and regulating emotions and using avoidant coping strategies, in a way that non-elite athletes with higher scores on this EI subscale are more likely to use distraction-oriented coping.

Proper posture, characterized by the appropriate alignment of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar segments of the spine, enables these regions to maintain their normal curvature. Body composition is recognized as one of the factors that can influence overall postural alignment of the spine. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the parameters of body composition on the prevalence of postural disorders in the sagittal plane. The cross-sectional study was conducted on 152 children of both genders (78 boys), at a mean age of 11 years ± 6 months. In order to evaluate postural disorders, the Formetric 4D System, a tool manufactured by Diers, Schlangenbad, Germany was used. Based on its output data, the following variables were obtained: hyperkyphosis, hyperlordosis, kypholordosis, flatback, and normal alignment of the body in the sagittal plane. The evaluation of body composition parameters was conducted using the InBody 770 device. To determine how body composition influences the postural status of the spinal column, a discriminant analysis was employed. The results showed that approximately 65.8% of children exhibit various types of postural disorders when assessing the alignment of the spine in the sagittal plane. The most prevalent disorder observed was hyperkyphosis, affecting 34.2% of the subjects, followed by kypholordosis at 16.4%. Moreover, the results demonstrated that body composition significantly influences body posture (p = 0.004). An increase in fat mass corresponds to a deviation from normal body posture, whereas an increase in the percentage of skeletal muscle mass and fat-free mass is associated with a reduction in postural abnormalities in the sagittal plane. Considering the results, it is clear that body composition parameters serve as more reliable predictors of the influence on body posture compared to simply calculating the body mass index. Furthermore, it can be concluded that there are consistent patterns of influence by specific body composition parameters, including fat mass, percentage of skeletal muscle, and fat-free mass, on body posture among children from various climates. These results underscore the significance of implementing strength exercises in children, particularly during periods of rapid growth and development, as a means of preventing and correcting postural disorders.

Children and adolescents do not participate in enough physical activity (PA) to meet the recommended levels, which stops them from benefiting from regular PA’s positive effects on their health. In recent years, technology-based initiatives have provided children and adolescents with a compelling and viable way to encourage PA. Based on the results of previous research, we have conducted this review to gain a better understanding of if and how specific commercially available wearable devices impact physical activity promotion and health in children and adolescents. We have conducted this review, that was based on a theoretical framework of the self-determination theory (SDT), and focused on the impact that wearable devices have on physical activity promotion and health. The electronic databases of Google Scholar, Web of Science, and PubMed were searched between 2010 and 2023 for all available literature. Eleven studies overall satisfied the requirements for inclusion criteria. The sample sizes for the studies ranged from 32 to 502, and they included both boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 14. Wearable technology was used for no less than one week and no more than four months. The current review revealed that commercial wearable activity tracker-based programs among children and adolescents had a positive influence on daily levels of MVPA and step totals, as well as sedentary behavior.