This study aimed to investigate moderators of change in physical activity (PA) levels after 30 days (30-d) of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in young adults. This research is an extension of the CRO-PALS study and analyses for this study were performed on young adults (20–21 y.o., n = 91). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sport participation, student and socioeconomic status were assessed pre- and post-30-d restrictions. Differences in MVPA levels were examined using repeated-measures ANOVAs. After 30-d of restrictions, the drop in MVPA in females (−64.8 min/day, p = 0.006) and males was shown (−57.7 min/day, p < 0.00). However, active participants decreased, while non-active peers increased their MVPA level (−100.7 min/day, p < 0.00, and +48.9 min/day, p = 0.051, respectively). Moreover, students and non-students decreased their MVPA level (−69.0 min/day, p < 0.00, and −35.0 min/day, p = 0.22, respectively) as well as sport participants and non-sport participants (−95.3 min/day, p < 0.001, and −53.9 min/day, p < 0.00, respectively). Our results suggest that 30-d of restrictions equally affect females and males where the evident drop in MVPA is seen in both genders. However, active people decreased their PA level during lockdown and the opposite pattern was seen in non-active peers, where restrictions for them can represent an opportunity to change their behavior in a positive direction in order to gain better health status.

It has been hypothesized that breakfast consumption is generally associated with healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as increased physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine the relations between breakfast consumption, adiposity measures and physical activity among adolescents. This investigation is a part of the Croatian physical activity in adolescence longitudinal study (CRO-PALS). This investigation is based on 802 participants (48% girls and 52% boys), aged between 15.2 and 16.0 years. Physical activity level and sedentary behaviors were assessed using the SHAPES questionnaire. Adiposity measures included the sum of four skinfolds, and multi-pass 24-h recall was used as the dietary assessment method. Participants who consumed breakfast had significantly lower body fat % (p = 0.011 for boys; p ≤ 0.001 for girls) compared to breakfast non-consumers. Physical activity has no mediating effect in the association of breakfast consumption on adiposity in boys (Sobel’s t = −0.541; p = 0.588) and girls (Sobel’s t = 1.020; p = 0.307). Breakfast consumption was negatively associated with adiposity only in the boys at the highest tertile of physical activity (p = 0.04). Physical activity has no mediating effect on the associations between breakfast consumption and adiposity, but has a moderation effect only in the most active boys. Breakfast consumption might exert beneficial effects only in the most active male adolescents, but not in the inactive ones.

(1) Background: Individuals’ psychological traits can influence not just success in sport but also the ability to learn new motor skills. We investigated whether sport courage, worry and fear differ between alpine ski-naive and basic level skiers and how they affect ski learning. (2): A total of 337 students (249 ski-naive and 88 basic level) participated in research consisting of a four-part questionnaire and structured skiing program. (3) Results: For beginners, lower fear (r = −0.30, p < 0.01) and higher Self-efficiency (r = 0.28, p < 0.05) and mastery (r = 0.20, p < 0.01) were associated with better performance; reducing fear and increasing self-efficiency and worry increased performance. Experienced skiers were better in determination, mastery, and self-efficiency (all p < 0.05). In case of lower score in worry (r = −0.28, p < 0.01) and higher in self-efficiency (r = 0.22, p < 0.05) performance was better. Males scored higher in sport courage scale-31 (all p < 0.05). In particular, self-efficiency was associated with better (r = 0.39, p < 0.01), and higher fear with poorer performance (r = −0.33, p < 0.01). Moreover, self-efficiency was a predictor of ski success (p < 0.001). On the other hand, females like ski beginners scored higher in fear (p < 0.001). In females, determination, mastery and self-efficiency had a positive correlation with skiing (r = 0.21, p < 0.05, r = 0.28, p < 0.01, and r = 0.33, p < 0.01, respectively), while association between Fear and skiing (r = −0.46, p < 0.01) was negative, and fear (p < 0.001) was inversely related to success. (4): Conclusions: Psychological factors and gender differences need to be considered during learning phases of alpine skiing. There is a positive association between self-efficiency and performance of male ski beginners, and negative association between fear and achieved results in basic alpine ski school in case of female ski beginners.

The study aimed to evaluate the test–retest reliability of a newly developed 356 Soccer Shooting Test (356-SST), and the discriminative ability of this test with respect to the soccer players' proficiency level and leg dominance. Sixty-six male soccer players, divided into three groups based on their proficiency level (amateur, n = 24; novice semi-professional, n = 18; and experienced semi-professional players, n = 24), performed 10 kicks following a two-step run up. Forty-eight of them repeated the test on a separate day. The following shooting variables were derived: ball velocity (BV; measured via radar gun), shooting accuracy (SA; average distance from the ball-entry point to the goal centre), and shooting quality (SQ; shooting accuracy divided by the time elapsed from hitting the ball to the point of entry). No systematic bias was evident in the selected shooting variables (SA: 1.98±0.65 vs. 2.00±0.63 m; BV: 24.6±2.3 vs. 24.5±1.9 m s^-1; SQ: 2.92±1.0 vs. 2.93±1.0 m s^-1; all p>0.05). The intra-class correlation coefficients were high (ICC = 0.70–0.88), and the coefficients of variation were low (CV = 5.3–5.4%). Finally, all three 356-SST variables identify, with adequate sensitivity, differences in soccer shooting ability with respect to the players' proficiency and leg dominance. The results suggest that the 356-SST is a reliable and sensitive test of specific shooting ability in men’s soccer. Future studies should test the validity of these findings in a fatigued state, as well as in other populations.

The main purpose of the present study was to determine the associations between sleep duration and sleep quality with respect to dietary habits. In this cross-sectional study, 810 free-living older adults aged ≥85 years were recruited from six neighborhoods from the city of Zagreb. Diet, sleep duration and sleep quality were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. The associations between sleep duration and sleep quality with respect to dietary habits were examined using generalized estimating equations with Poisson regression analyses. After adjusting for body-mass index, self-rated health, psychological distress, physical activity, socioeconomic status, chronic disease/s, sex and age, we revealed that ‘short’ (8 h; RR = 0.26; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.48) sleep durations and ‘good’ sleep quality (RR = 1.13; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.20) were associated with a ‘moderate-to-high’ healthy diet. When sleep duration and sleep quality were entered simultaneously into Model 3, ‘short’ (RR = 0.28; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.44 and ‘long’ (RR = 0.27; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.52) sleep duration and ‘good’ sleep quality (RR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.25) remained associated with a ‘moderate-to-high’ healthy diet. Our study shows that both ‘short’ and ‘long’ sleep duration and ‘good’ sleep quality are associated with ‘moderate-to-high’ healthy diets.