Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the effect of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the physical fitness of children aged 16, living in Kosovo. The research was conducted on a sample of 41 students aged 16 years ± 6 months, who are high school students from the Republic of Kosovo (n = 41 boys). Physical tests included in the study to measure the anthropometric and motor abilities included, height, weight, body mass index, balance, flexibility, strength continuity, explosive force, and anaerobic peak power. The calculation of the data was made by using the SPSS 24 software program. The One-Way repeated measure ANOVA Analysis was used to calculate the statistical data of the tests that were included in the study (years: 2018, 2019, and 2020). The study results have shown statistically significant effects of the pandemic on motor abilities, such as on explosive force and anaerobic peak power. However, there is no significant effect of the pandemic on anthropometric characteristics, balance, and flexibility (p>0.05). The effects of the pandemic on the health of the children living in Kosovo were less in comparison with the effects of the pandemic reported by the World Health Organization and other countries. Moreover, the study also showed decreases in motor abilities in the years when the COVID-19 pandemic had not occurred.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide disease
We can determine some factors, which may be the reason why the COVID-19 pandemic has less effect in Kosovo compared to Europe and other countries
As mentioned above, the percentage of the people who live in rural and urban areas, within nature, and the population density (KAS-Kosovo Agency of Statistics, 2019), make a more favorable condition to cope with a pandemic such as a COVID-19
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide disease. Physical distancing has been established, limiting people's daily activities, and recommending people to stay in their homes due to the pandemic. This necessarily means that most people will spend their time indoors. The increase in physical inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic is explained by two important reasons. The first relates to the fact that even before the pandemic, physical inactivity was apparent, and the second, to the imposition of a completely limited life, which both have significantly influenced the decline in physical fitness (Pitanga et al, 2020)
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