Motor skills in students can be developed or improved through regular physical activity such as walking in nature, Nordic walking, hiking, cycling and swimming. This study aimed to examine the relationship between motor skills and various anthropometric and health-related factors, and to appraise any differences in motor performance and body mass index (BMI) on a sample of university students from Croatia. A total of 122 students (73 of them in health programs and 49 in non-health programs) aged 18 to 44 years participated in the study. Motor abilities were evaluated using standardized motor tests, while body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis, which measured fat tissue, muscle and bone mass, metabolic age, degree of obesity, total body water, and BMI. While the groups were similar in terms of BMI and weight, students in non-health-related study programs had significantly higher values across a wide array of detailed body composition measures, particularly related to fat and muscle mass. Significant negative correlations were observed between body fat percentage and trunk lift performance (r = −0.55, p < 0.01), as well as between metabolic age and trunk lift performance (r = −0.44, p < 0.01) in health students. In non-health students, the strongest negative correlation was found between body fat percentage and flexibility (r = −0.47, p < 0.01). Higher muscle mass was a positive predictor of motor performance while higher fat mass and metabolic age were significant negative predictors. These findings underscore the impact of body composition on motor performance, particularly strength and flexibility, and highlight the need for targeted preventive strategies among university students. The study supports the implementation of early interventions promoting physical activity and healthy body composition to preserve motor abilities and long-term functional health in this critical age group—especially since lifestyle habits formed during university years tend to persist into adulthood.

Introduction: Prolonged sitting, computer work and digital workload are associated with frequent occurrence of pain in the spine and upper extremities, as well as increased stress and mental problems. Some difficulties often arise from static strain caused by long hours of computer work and inappropriate ergonomic working conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of the difficulties described in non-teaching staff in an academic environment. Methods: The cross-sectional design of this study included 34 non-teaching employees of University North. Demographic data and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Questionnaire on depression, anxiety and stress (The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale—DASS-21) were used. Results: The results presented a moderate level of stress in 32.4% of participants, while 29.4% had a normal level of stress. A normal level of anxiety was observed in 44.1% of participants, whereas 23.5% reported extremely severe anxiety. A statistically significant difference was found between troubles in the shoulders during the last 12 months and stress levels. Also, a statistically significant difference was found between troubles in the wrists/hands during the last 12 months and depression. Conclusions: Given the relatively small sample size and the large number of statistical comparisons performed, these findings may represent either true associations or chance findings and therefore require confirmation in larger longitudinal studies specifically designed to investigate the relationship between psychological factors and musculoskeletal complaints.

Motor skills in students can be developed or improved through regular physical activity such as walking in nature, Nordic walking, hiking, cycling and swimming. This study aimed to examine the relationship between motor skills and various anthropometric and health-related factors, and to appraise any differences in motor performance and body mass index (BMI) on a sample of university students from Croatia. A total of 122 students (73 of them in health programs and 49 in non-health programs) aged 18 to 44 years participated in the study. Motor abilities were evaluated using standardized motor tests, while body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis, which measured fat tissue, muscle and bone mass, metabolic age, degree of obesity, total body water, and BMI. While the groups were similar in terms of BMI and weight, students in non-health-related study programs had significantly higher values across a wide array of detailed body composition measures, particularly related to fat and muscle mass. Significant negative correlations were observed between body fat percentage and trunk lift performance (r=–0.547, p<0.01), as well as between metabolic age and trunk lift performance (r=–0.444, p<0.01) in health students. In non-health students, the strongest negative correlation was found between body fat percentage and flexibility (r=–0.467, p<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that higher muscle mass was a positive predictor of motor performance (β=0.565, p<0.001), while higher fat mass and metabolic age were significant negative predictors (β=–0.858, p=0.049; β=–0.911, p=0.003, respectively). Students with excessive body weight consistently exhibited higher fat mass, metabolic age, as well as poorer motor outcomes. These findings underscore the impact of body composition on motor performance, particularly strength and flexibility, and highlight the need for targeted preventive strategies among university students. The study supports the implementation of early interventions promoting physical activity and healthy body composition to preserve motor abilities and long-term functional health in this critical age group – especially since lifestyle habits formed during university years tend to persist into adulthood.

Cilj: Cilj istraživanja je doprinijeti razumijevanju najčešćihozljeda u twirlingu te pružiti podatke koji mogu posluži-ti kao temelj za razvoj učinkovitijih preventivnih mjera iedukaciju sportaša, trenera i zdravstvenih djelatnika.Materijali i metode: U istraživanju su sudjelovali spor-taši iz twirling klubova iz Republike Hrvatske u dobi od15 do 25+ godina od kojih su 95,2 % žene i 4,8 % muš-karci. Istraživanje o sportskim ozljedama u twirlingu pro-vedeno je online anketnim upitnikom, a sadrži 17 pitanjakoja uključuju čestice o općim sociodemografskim po-dacima, lokaciji ozljede, trenažnom procesu, prevenciji,podlozi i zbrinjavanju ozljeda.Rezultati: Istraživanjem je utvrđeno da je statistički zna-čajna većina sportaša koji se bave twirlingom imalo ozljedu(χ2 = 16,10; P < 0,001), a većina je doživjela ozljedu zavrijeme treninga (χ2 = 14,24; df = 1; P < 0,001). Većinasudionika ozlijeđena je na parketnoj podlozi (χ2 = 30,12;P < 0,001), a najčešći mehanizmi ozljeda su kontakt sdrugom osobom (kod 51,5 % sudionika), beskontaktneozljede (kod 42,4 % sudionika) i specifične biomehanič-ke ozljede 6,1 % (P < 0,001). Prema regiji najviše je ozli-jeđen zglob koljena (44,1 %), nakon čega slijedi ozljedastopala (20,6 %), ozljeda ruku (14,7 %) te ozljeda lica(11,8 %), dok su ostale ozljede zastupljene s 2,9 %. Zna-čajne su razlike u nastanku ozljeda ovisno o učestalostitreniranja, pa su sportaši koji treniraju 4 i više puta tjed-no skloniji ozljeđivanju (P = 0,043).Zaključak: Potrebna je edukacija sportaša i trenera očimbenicima rizika koji dovode do ozljeda i njihovoj pre-venciji, o preventivnim programima i prilagodbi trenaž-nog procesa. Fizioterapija bi trebala imati aktivniju uloguu procesu prevencije i rehabilitacije ozljeda u twirlingu.

Cilj: Spušteno stopalo je stanje koje se očituje sa spu-štenim medijalnim longitudinalnim svodom stopala kojemože biti djelomično ili potpuno. Podjela spuštenogstopala je po stupnjevima. Uzroci spuštenog stopala suopuštenost ligamenata, genetska stanja i sindromi te po-remećaji kolagena. Cilj istraživanja je utvrditi deformaci-ju spuštenog stopala kod djece na području Međimurskežupanije i istražiti faktore rizika koji doprinose razvojudeformacije svoda stopala.Materijali i metode: Istraživanje je provedeno na uzor-ku od 64 djeteta u dobi od 6 do 10 godina. Provedenje fizioterapeutski pregled koljena, pete i uzet je otisakstopala pomoću metode plantograma. Na temelju do-bivenih otisaka izračunat je Chippaux-Smirakov indeks(CSI) koji je poslužio za klasifikaciju stopala (normalno,lagano spušteno i spušteno). Podaci anketnog upitnikasu statistički obrađeni i grafički prikazani.Rezultati: Od ukupnog broja ispitanika 39 % djece imaodređeni stupanj spuštenog stopala od kojih je 56 % sprekomjernom tjelesnom masom. Veći postotak (40 %)dječaka spram djevojčica (38 %) ima spušteno stopalote oko 55 % djece koja treniraju atletiku, nogomet i ru-komet. Prekomjernu tjelesnu masu ima 16 % djece, a17 % je pretilo, što ukupno iznosi 33 % djece s većomtjelesnom masom od preporučene.Zaključak: Spušteno stopalo sve je češće kod djece. Fizič-kom aktivnošću djeca reguliraju tjelesnu masu, a time sma-njuju mogućnost nastanka deformacije spuštenog stopala.Preventivne mjere trebale bi uključivati edukaciju roditeljao važnosti pravilnog odabira obuće te poticanja na tjelesnuaktivnost koja ne narušava biomehaniku stopala. Sustavnopraćenje ranih posturalnih promjena kod djece trebalo bibiti sastavni dio preventivne zdravstvene skrbi.