Physical literacy in Europe: The current state of implementation in research, practice, and policy.

Background/objective: The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) embraces different person-centered qualities (physical, cognitive, affective/psychological) necessary to lead physically active lifestyles. PL has recently gained increasing attention globally and Europe is no exception. However, scientific endeavors summarizing the current state of PL in Europe are lacking. Therefore, the goal of this study was to comprehensively assess and compare the implementation of PL in research, policy, and practice across the continent. Methods: We assembled a panel of experts representing 25 European countries. Employing a complementary mixed-methods design, the experts first prepared reviews about the current state of PL in their countries (categories: research, practice/policy). The reviews underwent comparative document analysis, ensuring a transnational four-eyes principle. For re-validation purposes, the representatives completed a quantitative survey with questions reflecting the inductive themes from the document analysis. Results: The document analysis resulted in ten disjunct themes (related to "concept", "research", "practice/policy", "future/prospect") and yielded a heterogenous PL situation in Europe. The implementation state was strongly linked to conceptual discussions (e.g., existence of competing approaches), linguistic issues (e.g., translations), and country-specific traditions. Despite growing scholarly attention, PL hesitantly permeates practice and policy in most countries. Nevertheless, the experts largely anticipate increasing popularity of PL for the future. Conclusion: Despite the heterogeneous situation across Europe, the analysis has uncovered similarities among the countries, such as the presence of established yet not identical concepts. Research should intensify academic activities (conceptual-linguistic elaborations, empirical work) before PL may gain further access into practical and political spheres in the long term.

The Czech Republic's 2022 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth: A rationale and comprehensive analysis.

Background/Objective: The second edition of the Czech Republic's Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth was released in 2022. This paper describes the development of the Report Card and presents a comprehensive summary of the main findings. Methods: The multi-level search strategy was developed by the national expert panel to identify the available sources that provide data related to the physical activity of Czech children and adolescents. The data were used to assign grades to ten core and two additional indicators. Results: A total of 28 sources provided data that allowed grades to be assigned to 11 out of the 12 indicators. Grade B was assigned to six indicators (School: B+, Community and Environment: B, Organized Sport and Physical Activity: B-, Active Transportation: B-, Family and Peers: B-, Sleep: B-), grade C to three indicators (Overall Physical Activity: C+, Active Play: C, Physical Literacy: C), and grade D to two indicators (Government: D+, Sedentary Behaviors: D). No grade for the "Physical Fitness" indicator could be assigned due to a lack of data collected in the reference period 2018-2019. Conclusions: Although the family, school, and built environment provided a variety of opportunities to be physically active, a high proportion of children and adolescents did not meet the current physical activity guideline and were exposed to excessive sedentary behavior. A multisectoral and multidisciplinary response is required to reduce the health and economic burden of physical inactivity and excessive sedentary behavior among Czech children and adolescents.

Trends in Perception of Psychosocial School Environment: HBSC Study 2002-2014 in the Czech Republic.

OBJECTIVE: School is a place where students spend most of their daytime hours. Previous studies indicate that the class climate significantly affects students in both positive and negative ways. The aim of our study is to describe the trends in the psychosocial school environment based on four surveyed years in the Czech Republic. METHODS: The trends in perception of school were assessed by the standardised self-reported HBSC questionnaire from data collected in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. The overall sample included 8,530 girls and 8,087 boys. Data was analysed separately by gender and three age categories 11, 13, and 15 years. Trends were calculated using descriptive categories and percentages. To identify factors influencing school likeness we used binominal logistic regression. RESULTS: Results showed that school satisfaction declines with age both in boys and girls in each of four surveyed periods. Students who do not feel a high level of support from the teacher are more prone to negative perceptions of school. School duties in both genders were perceived to be greater and more stressful in 2014 than in 2002. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to support the perception of psychosocial school environment via the educational system should, therefore, take the aforementioned variation into account.

Trends in Parent-adolescent Communication in the Czech Republic between 2002 and 2014: Results of the HBSC Study.

OBJECTIVE: Good parent-child communication is associated with adolescent well-being. The aim of the present study was to report time trends in parent-adolescent communication in biological and stepfamilies in the Czech Republic between 2002 and 2014 and to assess gender and age differences. METHODS: The research sample consisted of 16,160 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years (48.1% of boys) who participated in the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 surveys within the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in the Czech Republic. The trends in family communication were evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Compared with 2002, a significant increase in the ease of communication with biological parents was observed in 2014. On the other hand, the adolescents' perception of communication with stepparents did not change in this period. Compared with the girls, a higher rate of boys reported communication with their father or stepfather as being easy throughout the study period. The ease of talking to biological parents decreased with age. CONCLUSION: The growing positive trend demonstrated an improvement in communication in intact families at the beginning of the 21st century, while communication with stepparents remained unchanged from 2002 to 2014. The increase in rates of ease of communication with biological fathers was reported by both genders. However, the ease of talking to biological mothers grew mainly among boys.

Trends in Tobacco Smoking among Czech School-aged Children from 1994 to 2014.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the article is to examine trends in tobacco consumption among the Czech school-age population. METHODS: For the analysis, data from the Czech Health Behaviour in School-aged Children project, conducted between 1994 and 2014 were used. Trends in tobacco smoking were determined separately for boys and girls, applying the binary logistic regression with survey period as an independent variable for the smoking status. RESULTS: The analysis showed that there have been significant changes in adolescent tobacco smoking for the recent 20 years. While the share of current school-aged smokers was continuously increasing since the mid-1990s, the trend reached its peak in the mid-2000s. CONCLUSION: In recent years, the prevalence of adolescent smokers has significantly declined in the Czech Republic. Despite this recent decline, adolescent smoking remains a major challenge for the national health policy.

Trends in Children's Toothbrushing in the Czech Republic from 1994 to 2014: Results of the HBSC Study.

OBJECTIVE: Brushing one's teeth twice a day is the main self-care method to prevent the most prevalent non-communicable diseases. The aim of the study is to describe the trends in brushing teeth in 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old Czech children between 1994 and 2014. METHODS: One question about oral health from the HBSC study protocol was used in the six surveys (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014). Altogether, 21,170 answers from boys and girls were analyzed using statistical description and binominal logistic regression. RESULTS: The findings showed that the prevalence of brushing their teeth more than once a day increased throughout the twenty years, more so in boys, but a preventive programme is still needed to educate the 21-38% of those who brush their teeth less than twice a day. CONCLUSION: Although the recommended frequency of brushing their teeth has increased among Czech school-aged children, it still lags far behind the recommended twice-a-day regularity, especially among boys.

The Effect of Respiratory Muscle Training on Fin-Swimmers' Performance.

Although respiratory muscle functions can influence swimming performance, respiratory muscle training (RMT) is not routinely used for improving fin-swimmers´ performance. The aim of our study was to verify the benefit of a one month of RMT in young fin-swimmers. We assessed the effect of this training on respiratory muscles and on maximal underwater swimming distance. 28 fin-swimmers were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). The study finished with 20 fin-swimmers (EG: n = 12; average age 12.0; weight 47.4 kg; height 1.58 m; CG: n = 8; age 11.5; weight 49.6 kg; height 1.53 m). Both group performed regular swimming training, during which the EG used Threshold PEP (positive expiratory pressure) and IMT (inspiratory muscle trainer) for RMT for one month. After one-month washout period, the CG also performed RMT. RMT showed significant improvement of inspiratory muscles in both groups (Z = <1.96; 2.59>; p < 0.05). Significant improvement was observed also in apnoea (AP) max (ZCG = 2.03; p < 0.05; ZEG=2.93; p < 0.01). A long-term effect was observed in the respiratory muscle strength and AP max in the EG (ZEG = 2.52; p < 0.05). RMT in fin-swimmers improves both respiratory muscle strength and the performance in AP max.

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography with Fourier transform mass spectrometry of monosaccharide anhydrides.

A fast, selective, and sensitive method for the determination of three monosaccharide anhydrides (galactosan, mannosan, levoglucosan), based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography and Fourier transform mass spectrometry, was successfully developed. The simple experimental stationary phase and mass spectrometry performance screening allowed the selection of the best available chromatographic and mass spectrometry conditions. Thus, the chromatographic separation was performed on a highly selective stationary phase containing a zwitterionic phosphorylcholine group and the monosaccharide anhydrides were detected as [M+HCOO]- adduct in the negative mode. The method showed accuracy in the range of 84-111 and 89-102% with interbatch precision expressed as relative standard deviations of 5.6-15.4 and 5.0-9.0% for the aerosol extract and snow samples, respectively. The limit of quantification in absolute values ranged from 10 to 30 pg, the limit of quantification, expressed as concentration, ranged was 0.3-0.9 ng/m3 for aerosol and 10-20 ng/mL for snow samples. The method was successfully applied for the determination of monosaccharide anhydrides in aerosol and snow samples.

The variability of standard artificial soils: effects on the survival and reproduction of springtail (Folsomia candida) and potworm (Enchytraeus crypticus).

Recent studies have documented significant variability in the basic properties of artificial soil which is used as a standard medium in soil bioassays. Variability in key soil properties could confound the interpretation of toxicity data and bias the output of bioassays. The main aims of this study were (i) to identify the variability in the endpoints survival and reproduction of Folsomia candida and Enchytraeus crypticus related to the artificials soils prepared in different laboratories and (ii) to identify the specific physico-chemical properties of the artificial soils which influence the bioassays results. The results of reproduction tests showed that nearly all tested artificial soils were suitable for the survival and reproduction of both organisms as the validity criteria from the test standards were fulfilled. However, numbers of juveniles varied significantly among soils. The most important factor for F. candida performance was a coarser soil structure. C:N ratio (<22.6) were important for the reproduction of E. crypticus. Both species tolerated a pH (KCl) of artificial soils in the range of 4.27-6.8 and even low TOC (1.5%). Thus, it is possible to reduce peat content in artificial soils, which may increase the comparability of results to those for natural soils.

Proteome analysis in Arabidopsis reveals shoot- and root-specific targets of cytokinin action and differential regulation of hormonal homeostasis.

The plant hormones cytokinins (CKs) regulate multiple developmental and physiological processes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Responses to CKs vary in different organs and tissues (e.g. the response to CKs has been shown to be opposite in shoot and root samples). However, the tissue-specific targets of CKs and the mechanisms underlying such specificity remain largely unclear. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis proteome responds with strong tissue and time specificity to the aromatic CK 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and that fast posttranscriptional and/or posttranslational regulation of protein abundance is involved in the contrasting shoot and root proteome responses to BAP. We demonstrate that BAP predominantly regulates proteins involved in carbohydrate and energy metabolism in the shoot as well as protein synthesis and destination in the root. Furthermore, we found that BAP treatment affects endogenous hormonal homeostasis, again with strong tissue specificity. In the shoot, BAP up-regulates the abundance of proteins involved in abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and the ABA response, whereas in the root, BAP rapidly and strongly up-regulates the majority of proteins in the ethylene biosynthetic pathway. This was further corroborated by direct measurements of hormone metabolites, showing that BAP increases ABA levels in the shoot and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, the rate-limiting precursor of ethylene biosynthesis, in the root. In support of the physiological importance of these findings, we identified the role of proteins mediating BAP-induced ethylene production, METHIONINE SYNTHASE1 and ACC OXIDASE2, in the early root growth response to BAP.

How Czech Adolescents Perceive Their Physical Activity.

Adolescence is a critical stage in the development of an individual's physical activity (PA) habits and preferences. Adolescents' perceptions of PA can influence their motivation to engage in PA and, consequently, their overall level of PA. Thus, our primary aim was to investigate whether Czech adolescents misperceive their peers' PA. Our dataset comprised cross-sectional data on 1289 adolescents aged 11-15 years. PA was measured using self-reported items used in the HBSC study. To describe the gender and school grade differences in VPA, independent samples T, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were performed. To analyze the effect of gender, school grade, school, and participants' own PA on the underestimation of PA, binomial regression models were used. Our study points out that there is a discrepancy between self-perceived levels of PA and the perceived descriptive norms of peers' PA. Adolescents underestimate the prevalence of sufficient PA, and thus perceived descriptive norms in PA as being worse than levels of own PA. These findings indicate room for targeted interventions based on social-norms-based approaches to increase the PA of adolescents or at least strengthen their actual positive behavior.

Disulfiram increases the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil in organotypic cultures of colorectal carcinoma.

Drug efficacy determined in preclinical research is difficult to transfer to clinical practice. This is mainly due to the use of oversimplified models omitting the effect of the tumor microenvironment and the presence of various cell types participating in the formation of tumors in vivo. In this study, we used robust three-dimensional models including spheroids grown from colon cancer cell lines and organotypic cultures prepared from the colorectal carcinoma tissue to test novel therapeutic strategies. We developed a multi-modal approach combining brightfield and fluorescence microscopy for evaluating drug effects on organotypic cultures. Combined treatment with 5-fluorouracil and disulfiram/copper efficiently eliminated cancer cells in these 3D models. Moreover, disulfiram/copper down-regulated the expression of markers associated with 5-fluorouracil resistance, such as thymidylate synthase and CD133/CD44. Thus, we propose combined therapy of 5-fluorouracil and disulfiram/copper for further testing as a treatment for colorectal carcinoma. In addition, we show that organotypic cultures are suitable models for anti-cancer drug testing.

Ecological risk assessment of pesticide residues in soils from vegetable production areas: A case study in S-Nepal.

Pesticides pose a serious risk to ecosystems. In this study, we used European Food Safety Authority methods, such as risk quotient (RQ) and toxicity exposure ratios (TER), to assess the potential ecological risks of 15 pesticide residues detected in agricultural soils in the Gaidahawa Rural Municipality of Nepal. The mean and maximum concentrations of the detected pesticide residues in the soil were used for risk characterization related to soil organisms. RQmean, TERmean and RQmaximum, TERmaximum were used to determine general and the worst-case scenarios, respectively. Of all the detected pesticides in soils, the no observed effect concentration (NOEC) for 27% of the pesticides was not available in literature for the tested soil organisms and their TER and RQ could not be calculated. RQ threshold value of ≥1 indicates high risk for organisms. Similarly, TER threshold value of ≥5, which is acceptable trigger point value for chronic exposure, indicates an acceptable risk. The results showed that the worst-case scenario (RQmaximum) indicated a high risk for soil organisms from chlorpyrifos [RQmaximum > 9 at depths (cm) of 0-5, 15-20 and 35-40 soil layer]; imidacloprid (1.78 in the 35-40 cm soil layer) and profenofos (3.37 in the 0-5 cm and 1.09 in the 35-40 cm soil layer). Likewise, for all the soil depths, the calculated TER for both the general and worst-case scenarios for chlorpyrifos ranged from 0.37 to 3.22, indicating chronic toxicity to F. candida. Furthermore, the risk of organophosphate pesticides for soil organisms in the sampling sites was mainly due to chlorpyrifos, except for two study sites where the risk was from profenofos. Ecological risk assessment (EcoRA) of the pesticide use in the study area indicated that the EFSA soil organisms were at risk at some of the localities where farmers practiced conventional farming.

Physical Activity Recommendations in the Context of New Calls for Change in Physical Education.

The current social, health, and educational changes in society require an adequate response in school-based physical activity (PA), including physical education (PE) lessons. The objective of this study was to identify the real average step counts of Czech and Polish adolescents during PE lessons, and propose recommendations for improving PE programs. This research was carried out in 143 Czech and 99 Polish schools. In the research, a total of 4911 adolescents aged 12-18 years were analyzed as part of teaching practice and 1827 in the context of habitual school practice. Steps were monitored using pedometers. The average step count per PE lesson was 2390 in Czech and Polish boys, while girls achieved 1851 steps. In both countries, boys were subject to greater physical strain in PE lessons compared to girls, both in teaching practice (F(4088,3) = 154.49, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.102) and school practice (F(1552,3) = 70.66, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.103). Therefore, the priority in PE lessons is to increase the amount of PA for girls, achieve the objectives of PE during PA, and use wearables to improve awareness of PA and improve physical literacy, as well as to support hybrid and online PE as a complement to traditional PE.

Adolescent Health Literacy and Neighbourhood Features: HBSC Findings from Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia.

The role of supportive environments on health, wellbeing, and longevity has been widely recognized. However, there is no strong empirical evidence on the association between health literacy (HL) as a particular health-related competence and neighbourhoods. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the association between the features of neighbourhoods and the level of HL competencies of young people from three countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia). Self-reported data from an international sample of 11,521 students aged 13-15 years participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study (HBSC) in the year 2018 were included in the analyses. The level of HL shows a strong positive relationship with family wealth, and a significant relationship is maintained in all studied countries. Both social and structural features of neighbourhoods turned out to have an impact on students' HL. However, HL is most clearly explained by the school environment. This study confirms the school effect on higher levels of HL competences in adolescents. This indicates the need to invest in schools located in less affluent areas to generally improve the level of education, implement modern health education combined with HL, and strengthen the social and health competencies of students.

Study of day, month and season pedometer-determined variability of physical activity of high school pupils in the czech republic.

Long-term day-to-day monitoring of physical activity (PA) has not been undertaken in adolescents despite PA declines rapidly during adolescence. This study monitored the school year-round pedometer-determined PA of pupils attending high school in the Czech Republic. We assessed their PA levels; appraised the school year-round variability of their PA; and, assessed the associations between their PA levels and weekdays/weekends; months; seasons; and physical education (PE) lessons at school. We observed the PA levels of 10 girls and 2 boys (aged 16.0 ± 0.7 years). Each pupil wore an unsealed pedometer (Omron HJ-105) on the right side of the waist continuously for one year, and recorded steps/day and daily behaviour (e.g. after-school PA, PE lesson) into an activity diary. In total, participants recorded step counts for 2,979 person- days (82.0% of a possible 3,628 person-days). We used the Missing Values Analysis EM function of SPSS to estimate step values that were missing from the dataset. The sample's mean daily step count was 14,727 ± 6,612 steps/day, and repeated ANOVA showed differences in steps/day across the days of the week (p < 0.0001), months (p < 0.0001) and seasons (p < 0.0001). The mean number of steps/day for weekdays (15,733 ± 6,354) was higher (p < 0.0001) than weekends values (12,196 ± 6,574), and was higher for days with PE lesson (17,280 ± 5,988) than for days without PE lesson (15,569 ± 6,318) (p < 0.0001). The total contribution of PE class (90 minutes) to pupils' daily PA was 10.0% additional steps per PE day. In conclusion, this study contributes to understanding the day-to-day PA variability of adolescent pupils across the school year. Across all months and seasons, pupils achieved notably more steps on weekdays than on weekends; and on PE days than on non-PE days. Research is required to assess these findings for school pupils in other countries. Key pointsPedometer appears to be suitable for long-term monitoring of physical activity in adolescents.Day of the week, month and season are significant factors in pedometer-determined day-to-day variability of physical activity of adolescent pupils.Across all months and seasons, pupils achieved notably more steps on weekdays than on weekends, with Sunday being the least active day.Regular PE lessons contribute considerably to the total physical activity levels in adolescent pupils. The increase in steps/day on days with PE is relatively constant throughout the school year regardless of month, season and the content of PE lessons.

How Czech Adolescents Perceive Active Commuting to School: A Cross-Sectional Study.

To achieve a healthy lifestyle, adolescents must be physically active and meet physical activity (PA) guidelines. One of the most natural ways of increasing the amount of PA is active commuting (AC) to school. Recent reviews suggest that peer norms have the potential to shape PA during adolescence in particular. Thus, our primary aim was to investigate whether Czech adolescents misperceive their peers' AC behaviors and attitudes towards AC. Our dataset comprised cross-sectional data on 1586 adolescents aged 11-15 years. Basic descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and correlation analyses were used to analyze the data. Regarding traveling to school, 68% of the Czech adolescents in this study are daily active commuters (walking, cycling, or riding a scooter or skateboard). Less than half of the respondents believed that most of their classmates were commuting to school actively almost daily. The students who believed that most of their classmates commuted to school actively had significantly higher chances of being regular active commuters themselves. The results showed that most of the Czech adolescents misperceived the AC norms of their peers. Thus, there could be potential in using a social norms approach aimed at increasing the level of AC in Czech adolescents through targeted interventions.

Associations Between Physical Activity and Perceived School Performance of Young Adolescents in Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Countries.

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity and doing well in school are important for growing adolescents. In this study, the associations between physical activity and perceived school performance (PSP) are examined together. METHODS: Young adolescents from 42 countries (n = 193,949) in Europe and Canada were examined for associations between self-reported moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and PSP. Multinominal analyses were conducted with 0 to 2 days of MVPA and below average PSP as reference categories. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were reported for pooled data and individual countries after controlling for family affluence scale. RESULTS: Girls had better PSP than boys, yet more boys participated in daily MVPA than girls. The associations between PSP and MVPA were inverted U shaped. The strongest association for very good PSP was among young adolescents who reported 5 to 6 days MVPA (odds ratios = 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.1-2.4) after controlling for family affluence scale. CONCLUSIONS: Young adolescents with average or better PSP took part in at least 3 days of MVPA in a week, suggesting that participating in some MVPA was positively associated with PSP. More days of MVPA in a week, especially for young adolescents with below average PSP, would be beneficial for health and school performance.

The impact of teaching physical education to Czech school children using progressive teaching approaches: findings of a four-year study.

Practice teaching is an important feature of pre-professional preparation of teachers. This study assessed student teachers' (STs) and pupils': overall evaluation and evaluation of pupils' roles in physical education (PE) and second subject lessons. STs delivered the lessons using either traditional or progressive teaching approaches. Questionnaires were completed by 57 STs and 10,517 high school pupils who assessed the lessons taught by the STs. Differences in the evaluation of pupil's role were analysed according to teaching approach, school years, and gender. In both types of lessons, pupils evaluated progressive teaching approaches more positively than the traditional approaches. Pupils' roles in lessons delivered using progressive teaching approaches also increased. STs evaluated the progressive approaches in both lessons more positively than traditional approaches. Girls evaluated PE lessons more favourably than boys regardless of teaching approach. If the goal is to increase pupils' role in the lessons, progressive teaching approach may be more effective than traditional.

Ecological risk assessment of pesticide residues in arable soils of the Czech Republic.

Currently used pesticides (CUPs) represent one of the largest intentional inputs of potentially hazardous compounds into agricultural soils. Subsequently, pesticide residues (PRs) and their transformation products (TPs) persist in agricultural soils, occurring in diverse mixtures of compounds in various concentrations. In this study, measured environmental concentrations (MECs) of CUP residues and TPs, originated from previous growing seasons in agricultural soils of the Czech Republic, were used to characterize the environmental risk for agroecosystems. Toxicity exposure ratios (TERs) were calculated using predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) and MECs in order to identify single pesticide residues risk to in-soil invertebrates and microorganisms. Ecological risk assessment (ERA) for the mixtures of pesticide residues at each monitored site was assessed using a risk quotient (RQ) method and considering concentration addition among components in the mixtures. The compilation of ecotoxicity data to derived PNECs for in-soil organisms clearly showed data gaps mainly for triazine and chloroacetanilide TPs. In addition, chronic toxicity data for in-soil invertebrates at different trophic levels are not available for 30% of monitored CUPs. The ERA revealed that pesticide residues in soil pose a risk at 35% of the sites (RQ ≥ 1). Among measured pesticides, epoxiconazole, atrazine-2-hydroxy, carbendazim, dimoxystrobin, terbuthylazine and difenoconazole were the main contributors to the overall pesticide mixture toxicity. The measured levels of epoxiconazole together with the frequent presence in soils represent a risk for the agroecosystems. Further assessment of higher tiers of ERA should be considered and prioritized in the pesticides risk management.