Urban and rural fitness level: Comparison between Italian and Croatian students

Nicola Lovecchio*, Dario Novak, Luca Eid, Francesco Casolo, Hrvoje Podnar

*Corresponding author

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the differences in physical fitness in relation to urban or rural living environment and between two countries: Italy and Croatia. Over 14,000 students were tested during physical education (PE) lessons. Croatian students were taller and heavier than Italian students, with women achieving better results in flexibility. Urban students were fitter in abdominal strength than rural students. Age seemed to be the major factor influencing the performance. This study's results indicate a trend: urban students performed “indoor” tests better than rural students; the opposite may be true for rural students. Living environment, socio-economic-status, or cultural correlation differences could be decreased during school experiences. Thus, PE programs could train all people toward an adequate, age-based fitness level.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)367-380
Number of pages14
JournalPerceptual and Motor Skills
Volume120
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Body Weights and Measures
  • Child
  • Croatia
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Italy
  • Male
  • Physical Education and Training
  • Physical Fitness
  • Rural Population
  • Students
  • Urban Population

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