Vol. 7, No 2, 2009 pp. 141 - 151
UDC 796.613
Original empirical article

INACTIVITY, NUTRITIONAL AND LIFESTYLE HABITS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN CZECH SCHOOLCHILDREN AND THEIR NUCLEAR FAMILIES
Pantelis Nikolaidis
Hellenic Military Academy, Thermopylon 7, 18450 Nikaia, Greece
E-mail: pn@ergometriko.gr

Abstract. The aim of this study was to investigate inactivity, nutritional and lifestyle patterns in schoolchildren and their parents. Six hundred and ten members (156 mothers, 140 fathers, 156 daughters and 158 sons) of 175 nuclear families, with an average size of 3.49 members, completed a validated and reliable 16-item questionnaire of physical activity. Inactivity was found to be closely related to nutrition and selected lifestyle habits in children and their parents. A practical implication of these findings indicated that a proper physical activity intervention should consider a change in all of the nutritional and lifestyle parameters in order to be beneficial for health. Therefore, attention should be paid not only to the increase physical activity through an organized exercise plan, but also to the improvement in lifestyle habits, like optimal sleeping, consuming fruit, vegetables and breakfast every day, employing the stairs instead of the elevator, and avoiding watching TV.
Key words: Questionnaire, exercise, health, age, gender

NEAKTIVNOST, NAVIKE U ISHRANI I SVAKODNEVNOM ŽIVOTU: PREGLEDNA STUDIJA ŠKOLSKE DECE I NJIHOVIH NAJUŽIH PORODICA U ČEŠKOJ
Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je da se ispita neaktivnost, navike u ishrani i svakodnevnom životu školske dece i njihovih roditelja. Ukupno 610 učesnika (156 majki, 140 očeva, 156 ćerki i 158 sinova) iz 175 porodica, sa prosečnim brojem članova 3.49, popunili su testiran i pouzdan upitnik koji se sastojao od 16 pitanja vezanih za fizičku aktivnost. Ustanovljeno je da je neaktivnost usko povezana sa ishranom i odabranim stilom života dece i njihovih roditelja. Praktična posledica ovih zaključaka bila je da je neophodna intervencije u smislu ispravne fizičke aktivnosti, da bi se unele promene u parametre navika u ishrani i načinu života koji bi imali pozitivan uticaj na zdravlje. Dakle, više pažnje bi trebalo da se posveti ne samo većoj fizičkoj aktivnosti kroz organizovan program, već su potrebne izmene u svakodnevnim navikama, kao što je optimalni san, unos voća, povrća i obavezni doručka svakodnevno, korišćenje stepenica umesto lifta i izbegavanje prekomernog gledanja televizije.
Ključne reči: upitnik, vežbanje, zdravlje, godište, pol