Czech Youth Research Articles

Normative-referenced values for health-related fitness among Czech youth: Physical fitness data from the study IPEN Adolescent Czech Republic.

The aim of this study was to developed sex- and age-specific normative-referenced percentile values for health-related fitness among 12 to 18 years old Czech youth. This study included cross-sectional data from 1,173 participants (50.7% boys) collected between 2013 and 2016. Participants were recruited from 32 elementary or secondary schools across eight cities located in the Czech Republic. Health-related fitness was objectively measured using both anthropometric (height, body mass, and sum of skinfolds) and performance (20-m shuttle run for cardiorespiratory endurance, modified push-ups for muscular strength/endurance, and V sit-and-reach for flexibility) tests. Sex- and age-specific normative values were calculated using the Lambda Mu Sigma method. Sex- and age-related differences in means were expressed as standardized effect sizes. Normative percentiles were tabulated and displayed as smoothed curves. Among boys, measures of health-related fitness generally increased with age, except for an age-related decline in the sum of skinfolds and a plateau in V sit-and-reach. Among girls, most measures of health-related fitness increased from age 12 to 16 years before stabilizing, except for the sum of skinfolds, which remained stable from age 12 to 18 years. The sex-related differences were large with boys having higher cardiorespiratory endurance and muscular strength/endurance than girls. Girls compared to boys had higher flexibility. This study presents the most up-to-date sex- and age-specific normative-referenced percentile values for health-related fitness among Czech youth. Normative values may be useful for fitness and public health screening and surveillance, for example, by helping to identify youth with low fitness who might benefit from a fitness-enhancing intervention.

Adoption of a COVID-19 Contact Tracing App by Czech Youth: Cross-Cultural Replication Study.

During the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the role of digital contact tracing (DCT) intensified. However, the uptake of this technology expectedly differed among age cohorts and national cultures. Various conceptual tools were introduced to strengthen DCT research from a theoretical perspective. However, little has been done to compare theory-supported findings across different cultural contexts and age cohorts. Building on the original study conducted in Belgium in April 2020 and theoretically underpinned by the Health Belief Model (HBM), this study attempted to confirm the predictors of DCT adoption in a cultural environment different from the original setting, that is, the Czech Republic. In addition, by using brief qualitative evidence, it aimed to shed light on the possible limitations of the HBM in the examined context and to propose certain extensions of the HBM. A Czech version of the original instrument was administered to a convenience sample of young (aged 18-29 y) Czech adults in November 2020. After filtering, 519 valid responses were obtained and included in the quantitative data analysis, which used structural equation modeling and followed the proposed structure of the relationships among the HBM constructs. Furthermore, a qualitative thematic analysis of the free-text answers was conducted to provide additional insights about the model's validity in the given context. The proposed measurement model exhibited less optimal fit (root mean square error of approximation=0.065, 90% CI 0.060-0.070) than in the original study (root mean square error of approximation=0.036, 90% CI 0.033-0.039). Nevertheless, perceived benefits and perceived barriers were confirmed as the main, statistically significant predictors of DCT uptake, consistent with the original study (β=.60, P<.001 and β=-.39; P<.001, respectively). Differently from the original study, self-efficacy was not a significant predictor in the strict statistical sense (β=.12; P=.003). In addition, qualitative analysis demonstrated that in the given cohort, perceived barriers was the most frequent theme (166/354, 46.9% of total codes). Under this category, psychological fears and concerns was a subtheme, notably diverging from the original operationalization of the perceived barriers construct. In a similar sense, a role for social influence in DCT uptake processes was suggested by some respondents (12/354, 1.7% of total codes). In summary, the quantitative and qualitative results indicated that the proposed quantitative model seemed to be of limited value in the examined context. Future studies should focus on reconceptualizing the 2 underperforming constructs (ie, perceived severity and cues to action) by considering the qualitative findings. This study also provided actionable insights for policy makers and app developers to mitigate DCT adoption issues in the event of a future pandemic caused by unknown viral agents.

Preventing chronic fatigue in Czech young athletes: The features description of the "SmartTraining" mobile application.

This study describes a beta version of a mobile application (app) that focuses on preventing chronic fatigue in Czech youth athletes. The first version of the SmartTraining app was developed for athletes as a way to prevent chronic fatigue via alertness and education. For alertness, a multistage process was developed using a combination of parameters about training responses, such as tiredness, well-being, heart rate, energy balance and psychological, and health-related aspects. According to the combination of the multistage parameter outcomes, the algorithm classifies the risk of fatigue based on semaphore light: green corresponds to low, yellow to moderate and red to high risk. The education presented in the app consisted of written and “animated videos” material about the variables involved in training, such as training demands and athletes’ responses, regeneration, nutrition and communication between athletes, coaches, and parents. Subsequently, a beta version of the app was created and freely available to download for Android or iOS mobile. The app can be used in daily routines to reduce the risk of chronic fatigue from inadequate training dose response. Prevention can minimise the risk of injury or physical and emotional burnout in youth. Informing athletes on how to carefully handle the training factors can improve athletes’ awareness of their performance and health status. Collaboration between sports scientists and the commercial sector allows for the efficient development of an easy-to-use and low-cost tool for use in sports settings. Future steps should be performed to validate the app’s accuracy in its alertness and in the efficiency of the educational process.

What Does Generation Z Believe? The Religiosity and Spirituality of Contemporary Czech Youth in Practical-Theological Reflection

Abstract The study deals with the religiosity and spirituality of contemporary Czech youth. Czech Republic is characterized by a high level of secularization. Are the expectations that religious faith will increasingly disappear in each generation coming true? How do Czech practical theologians reflect on the current situation? The study explores these questions against a background of generational theory and religious sociology. It has four parts. First, it introduces Mannheim’s theory of generations and applies it to the setting of Christian churches. In the second part, it characterizes the current Czech generation of youth with the help of generational typologies. In the third part, it presents the religiosity and spirituality of Czech youth based on recent sociological research. In the fourth part, it focuses on how Czech Catholic and Protestant theologians reflect on youth-work. The conclusion offers practical-theological suggestions that are relevant for pastoral work with youth in secularized contexts.

Examining adolescent football dropout in the Czech Republic

Background: Increases in early sport specialization, professionalization of youth sports, and leisure opportunities have led to growing numbers of youth dropping out of competitive sport. Understanding youth sport motivation and reasons for dropout is essential to crafting national federation policy, finance, and strategy decisions, as well as for clubs in aiding youth to reach their maximum potential. Objective: The study explored the leisure constraints perceived by former Czech youth football players as their main reasons for dropout. Based on leisure constraints theory, the hierarchical relationship between structural, intrapersonal, and interpersonal constraints was analyzed.Methods: A modified Czech version of Gould et al.'s Questionnaire of Reasons for Attrition (1982) was used to survey former Czech football players who dropped out between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to determine the relative prevalence of, and hierarchical relationship between, leisure constraints. Results: The participants' reasons for attrition were grouped into six factors corresponding to intrapersonal constraints (Low interest, Perceived low skills), interpersonal constraints (Team climate and the coach, Peer relationships) and structural constraints (Lacking family resources, External costs/low rewards). The participants most frequently reported interpersonal constraints (Team climate and the coach) and intrapersonal constraints (Low interest and Perceived low skills). Peer relationships significantly predicted intrapersonal constraints, including Perceived low skills (&#946; = .482, p = .050) and Low interest (&#946; = .914, p = .013); and Team climate and the coach significantly predicted Perceived low skills (&#946; = .245, p = .036). Conclusions: Our results emphasize the importance of intrapersonal constraints and interpersonal constraints related to the team climate as the most significant reasons for dropout in Czech youth football. Based on these findings, we conclude that the coach, including coaching education, is the best place for the federation and clubs to address attrition in Czech football.

Radio and Rebellion: An Investigation of Radio and Its Use by Czechoslovakian Youth During the 1968 August Invasion

In 1968, an already tumultuous year throughout the world, Czechoslovakians showed immense bravery in the face of a Soviet-led invasion between August 21and August 27. While separate bodies of existing scholarship examine the role of radio in the resistance efforts and the part that youth played in these efforts, little scholarship examines the two in conjunction. This paper explores the ways in which radio impacted the actions of youth movements and encouraged cross-generational resistance among the Czech population during the invasion and subsequent occupation by the Soviet Union. Through an examination of radio broadcasts, photographs, and student accounts, this paper traces how Czechoslovakian youth reacted to radio broadcasts immediately preceding and during the Soviet invasion, as well as how they utilized radio as a tool to advance their vision for the future of Czechoslovakia and undermine the efforts of Soviet forces. This examination demonstrates that established and clandestine radio networks capitalized on shifting political attitudes towards communism among the nation’s growing youth movement and guided their response. Furthermore, the availability of radio networks as a channel of information and a tool of resistance empowered Czech youth and enabled them to work in tandem with older generations of Czech citizens.

Different Perception of Health Status and Importance of Physical Activity among Croatian, Slovak and Czech Youth

The main aim of the study was to compare self-perception of health status and importance of physical activity in students in Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We used a self-designed questionnaire originally prepared in the Slovak language that was translated in mother languages for Czech and Croatian students. The questionnaire consists of five parts (we focused only on one part – physical activity and health) and basic demographical data. We obtained 1,368 questionnaires from first and last grade of high school students. For answers to 15 statements, students used 5-point Likert scale. Health status was perceived as excellent or very good by large portion of Croatian boys compared to Czech and Slovak boys. Physical activity helps students to be fit and to better assess situation in real life. Importance of physical activity should be promoted because not only does it make people fit but also helps them work, study, and relax better.

The Influence of the Relative Age Effect in the Czech Youth Ice Hockey League

The Influence of the Relative Age Effect in the Czech Youth Ice Hockey League

Attitudes of young Czechs towards immigration: comparison of 2011 and 2016

The paper aims to analyse the attitudes towards immigration among Czech youth and their changes on two distinct surveys of young Czechs (aged 14–19) held in 2011 and 2016, the years before and after a period of a greatly increased inflow of migrants to the European Union. In these surveys, special focus was given to changes in attitudes and factors influencing attitudes in each year. The results show that there was not a big difference in attitudes between both samples. Nevertheless, looking closely at the results, we found two main differences. The first was higher polarisation of answers in survey from 2016 than from the one held in 2011. The second one was in factors influencing answers, mainly in the statement on having an immigrant among close friends.

Bulimia symptoms in Czech youth: prevalence and association with internalizing problems

ObjectiveAlthough clinical studies suggest that bulimia symptoms are common in youth, research on the prevalence of such symptoms and of their association with comorbid internalizing problems in the general population has been limited. This study aimed to evaluate the gender-specific prevalence of bulimia symptoms in Czech youth and explored the association between a clinical level of self-reported bulimia symptoms (CLBS) and internalizing problems by gender, controlling for age, socio-economic status and puberty status.MethodThe study was conducted on a representative national sample of Czech youth (N = 4430, 57.0% female) using self-report scales. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine the associations.ResultsThe 3-month CLBS prevalence was higher in girls (11.4%) than in boys (3.8%) and in both genders a CLBS was associated with higher levels of comorbid internalizing problems.DiscussionTimely recognition of bulimia symptoms and associated risk factors is important for early prevention and intervention strategies.Level of evidenceV, cross-sectional descriptive study (according to Oxford (UK) CEBM Levels of Evidence, 2011).

Changing trends in adolescent alcohol use among Czech school-aged children from 1994 to 2014.

BackgroundFor an efficient planning of public health policy, the regular monitoring over health-related behaviors among vulnerable population groups is necessary. The aim of this study is to examine the temporal trends in alcohol use among the Czech adolescent population.Design and methodsData from the Health Behaviour in Schoolaged Children (HBSC) project conducted in Czechia from 1994 to 2014 were used. Adolescent alcohol use was assessed via two indicators: i) weekly alcohol use (beer, wine, and/or spirit), ii) repeated lifetime drunkenness (having been drunk on two or more occasions in life). Trends in alcohol use were modelled separately for boys and girls. Binary logistic regression was conducted with survey period as an independent predictor of the alcohol indicator.ResultsThere were significant changes in adolescent alcohol use since 1994. Between 1994 and 2010, there was a gradual upward in the prevalence. However, in the recent period of 2014, an unprecedented drop in alcohol use was recorded.ConclusionsDespite the significant drop in the prevalence of alcohol use among the Czech youth in recent years, alcohol drinking in adolescence remains an important challenge for the national health policy. Further research will show whether these changes in adolescent health-related behavior are of a temporary or a permanent nature.Significance for public healthSubstance use during the period of adolescence is one of the most significant priorities of the public health agenda. The study provides with a unique 20-year time series of data on adolescent alcohol use since the establishment of the Czech Republic in the early 1990s. Detailed analysis stratified by genders and specific age-groups of adolescents is conducted. The analysis confirmed significant changes in adolescent alcohol use. After a long period of continuous increase, which was present particularly among girls, a sharp drop across genders and all age-groups was recorded. The drop is in contrast with a steady and continuous decline recorded in most of the countries of Western Europe and North America. The specific factors and institutional settings present in Czechia are discussed.

Válečné Dĕtství a Mládí (1939–1945) V Literatuře a Publicistice ed. by Jana Čeňková

Reviewed by: Válečné Dĕtství a Mládí (1939–1945) V Literatuře a Publicistice ed. by Jana Čeňková Katja Wiebe Translated by Nikola von Merveldt VÁLEČNÉ DĔTSTVÍ A MLÁDÍ (1939–1945) V LITERATUŘE A PUBLICISTICE. [Childhood in Times of War (1939–1945) in Literature and Journalism]. Edited by Jana Čeňková. Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2016, 235 pages. ISBN: 978-80-246-3413-5 In many countries and cultures around the world, World War II and the Holocaust are important literary topics in literature for children and young adults. The stories and narratives about the war often center on a child or adolescent protagonist and look at the lives of children in times of war. The volume, edited by Jana Čeňková (Charles University, Prague), sheds light on childhoods in times of war in Czech children's literature and journalism. It also includes Geman-language (and some Dutch and Slovak) works, which necessarily played a role between 1939 and 1945 because of the German occupation of what was then Czechoslovakia. The introductory chapters by Milena Šubrtová, Pavel Suk, and Jan Halada trace the measures of the National Socialist education policies and their impact on the Czech publishing industry. The Board of Trustees for the Education of Youth, created by the National Socialists, was the most influential institution in this respect. It stood behind a Czech version of the young adult series War, Adventure, and Colonial Youth Library of the Berlin publisher Steiniger, published in Prague by Orbis beginning in 1939. The board also encouraged the publication of new magazines that promoted the image of virtuous, patriotic boys and girls true to National Socialist ideology. These magazines adapted formats and special columns from popular Czech youth magazines, such as the idea of a book club. Suk's contribution shows how the National Socialist ideology, most apparent in racist and anti-Semitic content, already exerted its influence before the German occupation—such as in the case of the magazine Mladý Hlasatel, founded in 1935, which printed posters of the Hitler Youth or Nazi interpretations of historical events prior to 1939. Ester Nováková, Luisa Nováková, Jaroslav Toman, and Jana Čeňková examine how Czech children's literature responded to the German occupation and World War II by analyzing individual works and their aesthetics. Adopting similar strategies as adult fiction, children's books published during the occupation tend to set their stories in the past or to anchor them in local traditions. They return to key historical events of Czech history and celebrate the importance of local and regional identities for the country, only obliquely commenting the current occupation by a foreign military force. The early post-war years see the emergence of a long series of children's books that remember life during the war most often from the perspective of child and adolescent protagonists. This raises the question of the intended audience and, hence, the question of what to tell about the horrors of the war, and how. It becomes apparent that many children's books focus on extraordinary situations during the war, such as resistance to the National Socialists or the survival of a Czech woman in a German town. Many also recount traumatic experiences of child protagonists who denounce the actions of the adults. A few essays explore the authorship of literary representations of childhood in times of war. Tamara Bučková shows how authors of German-language books draw on personal memories and use literary devices to give them shape, or they [End Page 67] base their literary storytelling on true events experienced by others. Radek Malý and Jarmila Sulovská present a number of impressive war diaries and childhood memoirs originally not intended for child readers or publication but now published for young readers as relevant, authentic testimonies. Most contributions observe that the Holocaust and World War II are imperative topics of contemporary children's literature. The Slovak children's magazine Slniečko, analyzed by Zuzana Stanislavová, seems to be an exception—for World War II is no longer touched upon after 1990. Many contributors ask whether and how successfully the memories of the war and the Holocaust...

Trust in alternative and professional media: The case of the youth news audiences in three European countries

This exploratory paper applying cross-cultural and developmental perspective analyses and discusses trust in alternative media and its relation to trust in professional media, seeking to identify the national specifics of media trust and its developmental patterns. Employing 2016 survey data of Czech, Estonian and Greek youth (aged 14–25, N = 3654) collected as part of the international CATCH-EyoU project (Horizon 2020), the study outlines the typology of media trust, comprising trust in alternative and professional media, and compares social and political predictors influencing media trust in the three countries. The study illustrates the diversity of relations between the two types of media trust, concluding that differences in selected predictors of media trust and the distribution of media trust types across national sub-samples illuminate the strong role national context plays, illustrating the varying pathways development of media trust follows in these varied contexts along socioeconomic and cultural lines.

Computer-Facilitated Screening and Brief Advice to Reduce Adolescents' Heavy Episodic Drinking: A Study in Two Countries

PurposeA computer-facilitated screening and brief advice (cSBA) intervention was previously shown to reduce drinking among U.S. adolescents but not among Czech youth. The purpose of this study was to assess cSBA effect on heavy episodic drinking (HED). MethodsParticipants were 12- to 18-year-olds at nine U.S. primary care offices (N = 2,096) and 10 Czech pediatrician-generalist offices (N = 589) who completed measurements only during an 18-month treatment-as-usual (TAU) phase. We then initiated the cSBA protocol for all participants and recruited the 18-month cSBA phase. Generalized Estimating Equations logistic regression compared past-90-day HED for cSBA versus TAU at 3- and 12-months, controlling for baseline HED and other covariates. ResultsBaseline past-90-day HED rates were 11% for U.S. and 28% for Czech youth. At 3 months, among Czech baseline non-HED, the adjusted relative risk ratio for cSBA versus TAU was .52 (95% confidence interval .29, .92). The effect dissipated by 12 months. ConclusionscSBA shows promise for short-term prevention of adolescent HED.

Measuring Cultural Capital: Taste and Legitimate Culture of Czech Youth

The concept of legitimate culture plays a crucial role in the study of the relationship between the differentiation of tastes and the reproduction of social inequalities. Nevertheless, the actual role of legitimate culture in present society is often disputed in light of a supposed crumbling of the privileged structure of the fine arts. Meanwhile, the existing practice of survey research often neglects this institutional dimension of the legitimisation of taste and researchers often withdraw from attempts to develop an empirically-based scale to measure the legitimacy of taste. The aim of this paper is to develop a method of measurement of cultural capital which is based on empirical evaluation of the legitimacy of respondents’ taste. Specifically, this measurement links responses to open-ended questions about favourite cultural goods with institutionalized critical ratings. The particular focus is to answer how this methodologically innovative approach relates to prevalent instruments for measurement of cultural capital (highbrow culture attendance, educational credentials) and how it could inform the study of the change of legitimate culture. The study uses data from a survey of Czech youth cultural consumption (N=524). The results show close ties between the institutional measurement of cultural capital and the Bourdieusian application of Multiple Correspondence Analysis as a mean to identify significant cultural differences. While the feasibility of institutional measurement of cultural capital in survey data could be disputed, it is a useful tool to advance our understanding of how legitimate culture operates in present society.

Czech Youth Summer Camps: More than playing games in nature

Summer camps for children and youth are organized in different countries around the world. These camps vary in length and also in the sport or outdoor activities framing them. Czech summer camps, tábory, have a long history dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Neuman, Turčová and Martin (2007) describe the specific cultural development of tábory, summer camps for children and youth in the Czech Republic with an anthropological focus. This current article examines the camp conditions, preparation and the role of camp leaders in the holistic program implementation of the turistika activities and outdoor games for these programs. It presents the findings of a survey of 69 leaders of the four main not-for-profit youth organisations undertaking summer camps in the Czech Republic: ATOM (Association of Touristic Youth Clubs), Junák (scouting), Pionýr, and Liga lesní moudrosti (woodcraft). The findings highlight the important role of the qualified, experienced and intrinsically motivated volunteer leaders who spend the entire preceeding year preparing these two to three week summer camps held in basic conditions. The holistic program design provides a pedagogical scaffolding and then culmination for the group of children, who have played outdoor games in natural settings and taken part in turistika activities throughout the year. The implications of these findings are that the ‘summer camp’ activities are unique to the Czech Republic and provide opportunities for children to ‘experience the natural environment’, and can also provide inspiration for the scaffolding and development of outdoor adventures and environmental programs internationally.

Gender differences among Czech youth in prejudice towards minorities

ABSTRACTUsing a large survey of Czech high school students (n = 1103), aged 15–20 years, this paper explores youth prejudice to a wide range of minority groups (n = 21) where family, school, and community contexts are taken into account. General Structural Equation Models are used to explore the determinants of prejudice for 21 minorities using a comparative explanatory framework where the focus is gender differences in prejudice to minorities are examined using three social theories: Social Dominance Theory (SDT), the Theory of Gendered Prejudice (TGP), and Gender Role Beliefs (GRB). This research shows that gender plays a strong role in expressing prejudiced attitudes where females express (a) less prejudiced attitudes toward the Roma, black Africans, Gays and those with mental or physical disabilities, and (b) more prejudiced attitudes towards the homeless, Vietnamese, Muslims, and lesbians. This gendered pattern is explained in terms of insights from SDT, TGP, and GRB.

Alcohol among Students of Social Work Study Programme

Background The objective is to examine the experience with alcohol use and related risk behaviors among students at the Faculty of Social and Economic Studies, University of Jan Evangelista Purkyne in Usti nad Labem, with special attention on the differences between the study programs. According to the previous studies from other universities and the HBSC studies, the Czech youth use alcohol extensively. The students of social work …

An empirical test of self-control theory in Roma adolescents

PurposeThe current study tested the applicability of self-control theory in Roma adolescents, one of the largest ethnic minorities in Europe; it compared mean levels in deviance measures and correlates (parenting and low self-control) in Roma versus non-Roma Czech youth. MethodsQuestionnaire data were collected from Roma (n=239, 47.5% female, Mage=14.02) and non-Roma (n=130, 47.7% female, Mage=14.71) adolescents residing in the Czech Republic. Measures included maternal parenting processes, low self-control, and deviance (alcohol use, school misconduct, and theft). ResultsFindings from SEM analyses provided evidence that perceived maternal support predicted lower deviance both directly and indirectly via low self-control, while perceived maternal conflict predicted lower self-control and higher deviance. No differences were found between Roma and non-Roma adolescents in mean deviance scores or in the links between parenting, low self-control, and deviance. ConclusionRoma adolescents did not differ from ethnic Czech adolescents in rates of deviance or the developmental processes focused on age-appropriate indicators of deviance. Thus, this evidence further extends the reach of Gottfredson and Hirschi's seminal theoretical work to ethnic minorities outside of North America.

Homophobic Prejudice in Czech Youth: a Sociodemographic Analysis of Young People’s Opinions on Homosexuality

The aims of this study are to provide momentum to research on homophobic prejudice in Czechia and to identify the significant factors influencing or mediating homophobic attitudes in Czech youth. The paper first contextualizes homophobia within the context of the Central and Eastern European countries and then refers to the role of schools and education tools in the prevention of homophobia. Results of a quantitative analysis based on original data collected during a research survey from 9th graders (N = 1082) in 35 selected Czech elementary schools are presented in the empirical part of the paper. We identify demographic, socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental factors that are significantly linked with homophobic attitudes in youth. Gender differences as well as relationship satisfaction with parents or peers, psychological status, and perception of quality of the environment one lives in were found to be among the most significant factors influencing prejudicial opinions in youth. Metropolitan youth were found to be significantly less prejudiced against nonheterosexuals. By taking lessons from abroad, we propose a number of possible policy interventions mainly in the realm of curricular documents and teacher training.