School Sports Research Articles

Using the grounded theory to develop the theoretical model of Chinese school sports coaching competence

BackgroundSchool sports coaching is gaining recognition as a formal profession worldwide, highlighting its significant role in students’ holistic development. Given the complex social and cultural dimensions of the role, this study explores a coaching competence model tailored to the school context, emphasizing the need to consider both national and local frameworks to ensure effective implementation. In China, school sport coaches are responsible for both physical education teaching and sports training across all types of schools. Within the integration of sports and education, school sport coaches can expand their impact not only on student-athletes or athletes but also on general students in practice. Compared with physical education teachers’ perspectives, sports coaches’ competence development has rarely been studied. This study aims to develop a sustainable Chinese school sports coaching competence model.MethodsThe qualitative data were gathered mainly through semi-structured interviews. School sports coaches and related stakeholders (N = 22) were selected as participants using purposive sampling techniques. Grounded theory was employed to analyse the data via NVivo 11.0 software.ResultsThe school sports coaching competence model comprises three categories consisting of 15 sub-categories, 92 concepts, and 317 labels. These categories are as follows: (a) Perception of identity, encompassing role of the coach, reflection on students, and understanding of policies; (b) Code of ethics, which includes sports virtues, sports-humanistic spirit, and principles of movement science; (c) Coaching excellence, comprising lifestyle and fitness strength, local sports development, teacher-coach partnership, leadership in extracurricular activities, safety and injury protection, athlete selection and training, instruction and demonstration, coaching reflective practice, and athlete-coach rapport.ConclusionChinese school sport coaching competence model emphasizes the integration of sports and education for student development. It provides both local and national perspectives to enhance the professional development of school sports coaches’ community worldwide.

Exploring the value of PGRs who teach (PGWT) in supporting undergraduate students’ sense of belonging: A Student Staff Partnership Project

The aim of this research was to explore the impact of interactions between undergraduate students (‘students’) and the postgraduate researchers (‘PGWT’) who teach them, on students’ sense of belonging. Meaningful interactions between staff and students have been identified as a key aspect of students’ sense of belonging. The unique space that postgraduates who teach occupy- both student and teacher- is widely recognized in the literature and through this dual role PGWT can provide a valuable bridge between students and academic staff. Due to the nature of their teaching - which is typically small group teaching characterised by proximity and informality - opportunities can arise for discussion of matters from the wider student experience beyond the curriculum. Activity-oriented focus groups were conducted with module leaders, PGWT and their students in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Hull to explore each groups’ perspectives, and the results were thematically analysed. Findings show that whilst students didn’t explicitly recognize or use the term ‘belonging’, through resonance, rapport and academic enrichment PGWT created environments which aligned with definitions of belonging, including building meaningful relationships, contributing to the student experience, and creating informal spaces where students discussed both learning and personal matters. PGWT were relatable, providing authentic examples and being role models. Our findings suggest that being a teacher enables PGWT themselves to feel part of, and that they belong in, the University community. This research adds to the literature on students’ perceptions of PGWT and provides recommendations for future practice.

A fitness obligation or indispensable pastime? A capability-informed inquiry into the developmental impacts of tiyu(体育) on college students in multi-ethnic China

ABSTRACT While the developmental impacts of sport have been extensively researched, with significant attention given to sport-based interventional projects common in sport for development and peace (SDP), fewer studies have approached this focus by investigating ordinary sporting opportunities such as physical education and school sports (PESS). Grounded on an 18-month ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a border region of Southwestern China, this qualitative study targets a multi-ethnic college setting to examine the developmental impacts of regular sporting provisions on campus. Underpinned by relativist ontology and constructionist epistemology, qualitative data were collected from multiple sources through participant observation, online survey and in-depth focus group interviews. Drawing on ‘tiyu (体育)’ and the Capabilities Approach (CA) as conceptual and theoretical references, data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis whereby four themes with sub-themes were contextually and reflexively constructed. These themes include: (1) fundamental means and ends: tiyu is an essential functioning of health and education; (2) individual agency enables extra gains: tiyu for interpersonal affiliation, emotions and control over one’s environment; (3) from instrumental to elemental: tiyu is an indispensable capability of play; (4) developmental prospects are conditional: counter-stories of tiyu. By contextualizing tiyu’s impacts on capabilities and human development, we lastly discussed the malleable nature of tiyu (sport) and the prospects of improving ordinary sporting opportunities with explicit development concerns.

Research on Strategies to Enhance Students' Physical Fitness from the Perspective of Sports Education Management

In recent years, the physical health level of students has been declining annually, becoming a hot topic of widespread concern in society. By strengthening sports education management, optimizing sports curricula, enhancing the quality of teaching staff, and innovating health assessment systems, we can effectively improve students' physical fitness and health conditions. This article analyzes the impact of sports education management on enhancing students' physical fitness and health from the perspective of current student health status, proposing a series of enhancement strategies including building scientific sports curricula, improving the quality of sports teachers, improving school sports facilities, and innovating physical health assessment mechanisms. Research has found that systematic sports education management plays a significant role in promoting students' physical health and can provide long-term protection for students' healthy growth.

Studying the characteristics of physical development of young athletes

Medical and biological support for the training of young athletes is a separate specific part of medical science and practice. This area of medicine includes determining the health and physical development of athletes, as well as diagnosing, treating and preventing diseases and injuries associated with physical education and sports. The main goal of medical and biological support for children’s and youth sports is the harmonious development of the child within the chosen sport, taking into account his age characteristics, functionality, physical development, including puberty.Objective. The purpose of the study is to investigate the characteristics of the physical development of young athletes of various specializations.Materials and methods: 102 young teenage athletes took part in the study. The control group consisted of 28 schoolchildren who were not involved in sports professionally. The first group of the study included 35 young athletes from the «Children and Youth Sports School of Swimming». The second group of the study consisted of 47 teenagers, students of a specialized children’s and youth sports school of the Olympic reserve in field hockey. The third group of the study included 20 young athletes, students of a specialized children’s and youth sports school of Olympic reserve fencing.Results: In terms of physical development parameters, young athletes have indicators above the average values of children in the control group. The percentage of body fat in boys and girls in the control group was significantly higher than in young athletes. At the same time, the level of muscle mass of boys who do not engage in sports is lower than that of the group of athletes.Conclusions: Based on the results of the work, it was established that the physical development of young athletes has significant differences from their peers who do not play sports professionally.

Abstract 4135629: Grades and trends from the 2024 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Background: Regular physical activity provides numerous health benefits including improved cardiovascular health. Population-level physical activity surveillance is critical for informing research, practice, and policy efforts for supporting population health and health disparities. The United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth addresses physical activity surveillance needs by integrating data from numerous sources capturing levels of physical activity and related behaviors (e.g., sedentary behavior, sleep), and facilitators and barriers for physical activity among United States youth. The 2024 Report Card is the 5 th and decennial iteration in the series, released October 2024. Methods: A Report Card Working Group was assembled under the auspices of the Physical Activity Alliance and National Physical Activity Plan. Members reviewed the evidence for 11 indicators using data from nationally representative surveys and assigned grades. Data were examined for the overall population and, when possible, by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and disability subgroups. A standardized grading rubric was used to assign a letter grade to each indicator ranging from A to F. Trends in key benchmarks over time were examined since the first report card (2014) or earliest available data. Results: Sufficient data were available to assign grades for 8 of the 11 indicators. The assigned grades ranged from B- to F, with overall physical activity levels earning a D- (Table 1). No indicators improved since 2014. Five indicators - overall physical activity, organized sport participation, active transportation, sedentary behaviors, and school - worsened since 2014. Conclusions: The compiled surveillance report indicates generally poor grades and concerning trends over the recent decade. These findings highlight opportunities to improve physical activity levels and resources for supporting cardiovascular health among United States youth. Policy approaches are needed to combat societal factors that interfere with physical activity. Gaps in data availability, specificity, and quality point to needs for improved surveillance to track impacts. The 2024 Report Card can be a tool for supporting advocacy of regular physical activity at the national and local level.

Profiles of Primary School Children's Sports Participation and Their Motor Competencies.

Children participate in various organized and informal physical activities (PAs) in their leisure time, presenting diverse objectives and environments for motor and social development. However, current research often focuses on specific, mostly organized activities, overlooking the complexity of participation across different settings. This study aimed to (1) identify groups of children with similar characteristics based on their participation in five organized and informal sports activities and (2) examine how the groups differ regarding gender, age, BMI, motor competencies (MCs), and attendance in institutionalized care at school. The study included n = 1717 1st and 2nd graders (M = 7.60 years, SD = 0.59, 50.7% girls) and n = 1319 3rd and 4th graders (M = 9.46 years, SD = 0.57, 49.4% girls) from the "EMOKK" study, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Data were collected via parent questionnaires on leisure sports participation, and MCs were assessed using MOBAK-1-2 and 3-4 tests. Latent profile analyses (LPAs) and univariate ANOVAs were used to identify group differences. A three-profile LPA model best fits the data, revealing differences in participation across individual and team sports, optional school sports, free play on the school playground, and informal activities during leisure time. Children involved more in team sports (profiles: allrounder and very active sportsperson) participate more in informal play and present better MCs than children participating mainly in individual sports (profile: individual sportsperson). Girls were predominantly in the individual sports profile, while boys were more evenly spread across all groups. These findings highlight the importance of designing targeted interventions that promote participation in both organized and informal sports, particularly for children with lower levels of PA. Children show different patterns of engagement in different interrelated organized and informal leisure PA contexts. These specific patterns and the children's MCs should be taken into account for the targeted promotion of PAs during leisure time.

Development of Explosive Strength in the Representative High School Volleyball Team

The physical education teacher has the obligation to form the representative team of the school unit to be enrolled in the competition provided in the sports calendar, respectively the National School Sports Olympiad. The aim is to educate all students in sports according to their skills, material basis, sports tradition of the educational unit, in order to lay the foundation for the creating the habit of systematic practice of some sports branches, namely the game of volleyball. Motor skills are absolutely necessary for a total participation of the student in all phases of attack and defense. Among these, the value of the motor quality, force, depends on the degree of training and applied efforts, efforts that must be large enough to lead to the development of the student’s moto qualities. Starting from the knowledge of morpho - functional peculiarities specific to the post-pubertal age, a pattern can be structured to identify the optimal solutions for the development of explosive force by general means but also specific to the game of volleyball. The efficiency and diversification strategies of stimulation and development of explosive force in volleyball play involve valuing the theoretical and practical knowledge and experience of the specialist, whose ultimate goal is to discover and capitalize the motor potential of high school students in order to achieve performance in school competitions.

Using Balancing Equipment in Archer Training

Background and purpose The implementation of balance equipment plays an essential role in archery training. It helps develop stability, accuracy, coordination, and muscular endurance, all critical for successful. Balance platforms, exercise balls, and specialized devices add extra load on stabilizer muscles, leading to a more efficient use of the body and assisting athletes in maintaining balance during string tension and targeting. The objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of balance exercises in archers' training. Material and methods Participants: 23 archers (aged 13-14) from the "KOMUNAR" Kharkiv City Specialized Youth Sports School of Olympic Archery Reserve. The experiment was conducted for 2 months from August to October 2024. At the beginning and end of the experiment, an interactive survey was conducted using a Google form. Theoretical analysis, data generalization, questionnaire method, and mathematical statistics Results Developed and implemented in the training process of exercises with fitness balls, balance pillows, boards, fitness trampolines, balancing platforms. In addition to the usual balance exercises, the archers performed stances with bowstring tension with closed and open eyes and archery on balancing devices. The use of an extended set of preparatory exercises in the training process of archers made it possible to change the attitude of athletes to physical training, improve technical skills and develop psychological stability. The introduction of new training tools contributed to increasing the motivation of archers, understanding the importance of a versatile approach in the training process to achieve high results in archery. Conclusions It is shown that the use of special exercises has a positive effect on the psychological state of young athletes, emotionality and self-confidence. Keywords Archery, balancing equipment, balance, young athletes.

CONCEPT OF A PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S PROGRAM: FITNESS AND NUTRITION

Purposes of the article. To put the basis of the Fitness and Nutrition Master’s Program. Scientific novelty. The given article presents the purpose and content of the «Fitness and Nutrition» master’s program. There are defined goals, objectives, competencies. The mentioned program is focused on preparing fitness trainers that would be able to conduct various areas of health-improving and recreational activities, developing nutrition programs for it, depending on their specifics, orientation and preferences of those involved. Conclusions. Graduates of the Fitness and Nutrition master's program will be able to work in fitness centers and clubs, sports schools, specialized educational institutions, recreation organizations – sanatoriums, rest homes, hotel fitness rooms, etc., occupying different positions from the hierarchical profile step. The master's program will cover the demands of the labor market with specialists in the field of physical education, fitness, sports: fitness centers and clubs, sports schools, sports centers and clubs. Graduates will have the opportunity to work as a fitness nutritionist, sports nutritionist, specialist advisor in nutrition and sports diet, carrying out different nutritional programs adapted to the type and volume of physical effort, counseling in order to adjust the diet for weight gain or loss, long-term follow-up of nutritional status and counseling for supporting the effort, recovery after the effort and recommendations regarding hydration and the administration of nutritional supplements.

Research on the New Era’s Road for Reforming School Sports Instruction

Background: The emphasis on holistic development in school has significantly changed in recent years, placing equal emphasis on academic success and physical and mental well-being. This change has led to a critical analysis of the teaching of sports in schools, which has historically placed a strong emphasis on competitive and performance-oriented goals. Growing worries about the health, involvement, and general development of students highlight the need for reform in school sports instruction. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine and assess current reform efforts in school Sports instruction in light of the emerging educational paradigm. Finding workable solutions to raise the standard of sports instruction, increase student engagement, and promote a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to physical education are the goals. Method: Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative interviews with quantitative surveys. Information was gathered from a wide range of educational institutions' instructors, students, and policy officials. Analyzing survey data on existing sports curriculum, instructional strategies, and student attitudes toward physical education comprised the quantitative component. In-depth interviews were a part of the qualitative component, which aimed to provide insights into the difficulties and achievements faced by reforming schools. Findings: The study presents a number of important conclusions: First, the necessity of switching from conventional, competition-focused models to more inclusive and diversified sports programs that accommodate a range of interests and ability levels is becoming increasingly apparent. Second, the incorporation of contemporary pedagogical strategies that encourage higher levels of engagement and enjoyment—like cooperative learning and student-centered activities—marks effective reforms. Third, there are still issues like scarce resources and opposition to change, but creative solutions and helpful legislation have made progress toward getting past these obstacles. Overall, the study emphasizes how crucial it is for educators to continue their professional development and how systemic support is required to maintain successful reforms in the teaching of sports in schools. This study offers insightful information to stakeholders, educators, and policymakers that want to improve.

The privilege to play: race, gender, & SES advantages in boys’ high school athletic opportunities

ABSTRACT In this study, with an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, we considered the components and implications of a habitus that (re)produces racial/ethnic, social class, and gender differences in US interscholastic sport participation. We drew from independently collected qualitative (N = 19 men and 47 total college athletes) and quantitative (N = 4,097 high school boys) data and noted and investigated dynamic links between individual choices; family, community, and school contexts; and power structures that inform interscholastic athletics. Findings positioned sports as offering valuable institutionalized cultural capital but being rife with reproductive struggles. Schools serve as fields that co-construct unequal athletic opportunity structures by nurturing and rewarding a cultivated athletic habitus associated with masculinity, whiteness, and affluent dispositions. These processes situate athletic advantages and successes as purely meritorious but restrict who is most likely to receive the individual and social benefits of high school sports participation.

Зміни у показниках периферійного зору баскетболісток 11–12 років під впливом спеціально підібраних вправ

In team game sports, peripheral vision can be useful for simultaneously tracking the movements of opponents and teammates. The purpose of the study: to experimentally test the effectiveness of specially selected exercises aimed at changes in the peripheral vision of basketball players aged 11-12 years. Research methods: theoretical analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pyrometry method, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics. The device ‘Forster's Perimeter’ was used to determine the index of peripheral visual field. The field of vision was determined for the left and right eyes separately for the white and green colours of the two main meridians - horizontal outward (to the temple) and to the middle (to the nose) and vertical - upward and downward. The study was conducted at the research laboratory of the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture. The study involved 30 female basketball players from Kharkiv aged 11-12 years. In order to establish the effectiveness of using specially selected exercises during training, young basketball players were divided into control and experimental groups, each of which consisted of 15 girls. For 4 months, the training process of the experimental group was based on the standard training programme for basketball for children and youth sports schools and was supplemented by specially selected sets of exercises aimed at developing peripheral vision and improving the condition of the eye muscles. Special sets of exercises aimed at developing peripheral vision. Results of the study. The ‘Forster Perimeter’ device does not allow to set the field of vision in the selected direction by more than 90º. It should be noted that the index of peripheral vision horizontally outward, both with the right and left eyes, for both colours in all basketball players exceeded this index. Thus, it was not possible to establish the indicators of peripheral vision in the horizontal outward direction and to study the influence of specially selected exercises on these indicators. The analysis of indicators in the direction up, down and inwards revealed the highest indicators along the vertical meridian with the right and left eyes downwards, both in the CG and EG. Comparing the indicators of peripheral vision of the right and left eyes to white, it was found that in the EG there were significant differences in the indicators upwards (t=2.54, p<0.05) and in the middle (t=4.47, p<0.05), in the CG - in all three directions (t=2.43, p<0.05; t=2.27, p<0.05, t=3.56, p<0.05. In indicators of peripheral vision of the right and left eyes for green colour significant differences are observed only in EG in the upward direction (t=2.19; p<0.05) After the pedagogical experiment the repeated testing was conducted, the results of which indicated a significant improvement of indicators of peripheral vision of basketball players of EC of the right eye both for white and green colour in all three directions (p<0.005). Significant changes in the indicators of peripheral vision of the left eye occurred only for white colour along the vertical meridian downwards (t=2.06; p<0.05) and upwards (t=2.04; p<0.05). For other indicators, the changes were positive, but not significant. Conclusions. The use of specially selected exercises positively influenced on indicators of peripheral vision of sportswomen of 11-12 years old of EG. Thus, the improvement in the right eye was 5.08% upwards, 6.08% downwards, 9.58% in the middle of white colour; in green colour - 11.82%, 5.86%, 5.91%, respectively. In the left eye, the improvement was 6.58% for white, 7.57% for blue, and 1.08% for green; 7.38%, 7.81%, 5.70% for green, respectively.

Effectiveness of learning human anatomy using three-dimensional augmented reality application

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that augments reality with two- or three-dimensional computer-generated imagery (CGI), objects, or information, and allows users to interact efficiently. The aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness of Augmented Reality (AR) application in teaching Human Body anatomy and determine the attention and confidence level which contributes to learning motivation among sports school students before and after using a particular AR application online, hybrid and face to face teaching. This pre-post experimental study conducted among 32 sports school students in Bukit Jalil Sports School who registered for human anatomy subject. A written test was conducted on the topic of human body anatomy after teaching using the traditional method. Then the same group of pupils learned human body anatomy using Augmented Reality application. A post-test was conducted to evaluate the understanding and achievement. The pair sample t-test was used to determine the effectiveness between both methods. The subjects also answered a five scale Likert questionnaire to determine the attention, confidence and motivation level in learning through AR application. The paired sample t-test showed significant differences between pre- and post-test, with t(31) = −7.44, p = 0.00 (p < 0.05). This showed that learning through the Augmented Reality application is much easier and more efficient compared to the traditional method using textbooks, pictures, and diagrams. The descriptive analysis showed the mean score of attention (4.31), confidence (3.98) and motivation (4.13) are high. Results demonstrated positive significant correlation between the mean score of attention (r = 0.75), and confidence (r = 0.73) toward motivation (r = 0.84) (p < 0.001). These findings showed high levels of attention, self-confidence, and motivation among sports school students while learning using augmented reality compared to learning through the traditional method. In conclusion this study proved that AR application can increase motivation in the learning process and enhance academic performance in Human Anatomy and also other subjects.

Education is necessary but not sufficient for addressing disparities in concussion knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions

ABSTRACT Introduction Concussion leads to immediate cognitive, physiological, psychological, and emotional consequences that, if left untreated, may persist resulting in longer-term effects. Concussion education programs provide students with the knowledge necessary for them to make an informed decision to seek care should an injury occur. Methods In this observational cohort study, youth participating in public middle or high school athletics in a suburban county in Pennsylvania were asked to complete a survey to assess their concussion knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions before and after concussion education. Results All students increased scores from pre- to posteducation (mean difference, 0.08 to 0.67). Students from noncontact sports, higher grades, and higher Child Opportunity Index (COI) schools tended to have higher scores both before and after concussion education compared to students from contact sports, lower grades, or lower COI schools. Discussion Disparities were identified before and after the educational intervention between sport participation, grade level, and schools with different COI. Although concussion education was successful, with students showing improvement in all questions related to concussion knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions, this study identifies a need for the development of more equitable educational support systems. Understanding these differences may provide opportunities for targeted educational strategies, which might result in improved outcomes for younger athletes, those participating in contact sports, and those from lower COI schools.

Effects of Physical Self-Concept and Physical Self-Efficacy of Middle School Students Participating in School Sports Club Activities on Ego-Resiliency and Stress Coping

Effects of Physical Self-Concept and Physical Self-Efficacy of Middle School Students Participating in School Sports Club Activities on Ego-Resiliency and Stress Coping

Coaching by doing: communities of practice at Swedish sport schools in XC skiing since the 1970s

Since the introduction of a national system for upper-secondary sport schools in Sweden in the 1970s, these institutions have been an important environment for developments in training and coaching. This is particularly true for cross-country skiing, where these schools quickly became an obligatory passage point. Coaches at the sport schools, often formally employed as PE teachers, were among the first professionalized endurance sport coaches in Sweden. This article examines how communities of practice have influenced the professionalization process of XC ski coaches at Swedish sport schools. The results show how being part of this community is conditioned on personal experience of active learning, historically as a skier yourself and currently as a coach who participates in the everyday work. The strong communities of practice have enabled coaches to maintain a high degree of self-­governance and ensured that experiential knowledge remain important in relation to scientific knowledge.

INSERTION OF BADMINTON IN SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION: EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS

This article is an integrative review that synthesizes and analyzes data from four scientific papers collected from the Scielo database, using the descriptors ‘Methodology,’ ‘Method,’ ‘Badminton as a subject,’ ‘School sport.’ Ten papers were analyzed: one of the studies was carried out in Portuguese public elementary schools; the others in Brazil: in a municipal public school in Natal/RN, Brazil, one that shows badminton as an integral part of the body culture of movement and, the last one, is an experience report of an intervention of the practice of Badminton for primary schools students in Iranduba- AM, with the objectives of synthesizing and analyzing the Insertion of the Net Sport Badminton in School Physical Education Classes. This integrative review enabled the construction of a synthesis of scientific knowledge about a new form of interaction between students and teachers, yielding new attitudinal values for both and inclusion, as well as demonstrating the broad contribution of the Badminton Net Sport in School Physical Education Classes to the improvement and dynamism of School Physical Education classes.

Proposing adjustments to heat safety thresholds for junior high and high school sports clubs in Japan.

With higher temperatures expected in the future due to global climate change, addressing health risks such as heat illness is increasingly important. In Japan, thousands of heat illness cases occur annually during school sports club activities. The risk may vary by sport, location, and region, but how heat safety thresholds (HSTs) should be adjusted to provide effective guidelines remains uncertain. Thus, we conducted a case-crossover study using data of heat illness cases and wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) throughout Japan to evaluate the heat illness risk for the current HSTs and propose adjustments. A significant relationship was found between heat illness incidence and WBGT at the time of the incident, as well as the average WBGT one and two days prior. The risk significantly varies with factors such as club, region, location, year, month, and the average WBGT in summer. Therefore, we recommend lowering the current HSTs by one category (3°C) in the following cases: (1) clubs at high risk (baseball, softball, soccer/futsal, tennis, track and field, kyudo, and other with sustained exercise or thick uniforms); (2) from April to June; (3) in cooler regions (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku, or where the average WBGT in summer≦18℃); (4) for outdoor activities; (5) when heat rapidly increases without adequate heat acclimatization. These findings may inform educators, students, sports authorities, and policymakers in adjusting HSTs to reduce the incidence of heat illness, thereby ensuring safer environments for school sports activities.

Predictors of Dietary Supplement Use Among Children Attending Care and Educational Institutions in Krakow, Poland.

Socioeconomic status and parental lifestyle influence dietary behaviors, including the administration of oral dietary supplements in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of selected health, dietary, and sociodemographic factors on the use of dietary supplements by children. In this cross-sectional observational study, a diagnostic survey based on the computer-assisted web interview method was conducted in November 2022 among 2826 parents whose children attend public educational institutions in Krakow, Poland. The study group included data on 497 nursery children (17.6%), 599 kindergarten children (21.2%), 1594 primary school children (56.4%), and 136 secondary school children (4.8%). Among all respondents, 72.2% were taking oral nutritional supplements, with vitamin D supplementation being particularly popular in all groups. Logistic regression analysis identified predictors of supplement use, including special diet (p < 0.001), use of medication for chronic disease (p = 0.012), regularity of main meals (p = 0.022), and attending a sports school (p = 0.021). A decrease in supplement use was observed with the increasing level of education of children (p < 0.001). These results highlight the importance of various health, dietary, and sociodemographic factors in influencing decisions regarding dietary supplementation in children. Further assessment of dietary supplement usage should be conducted alongside evaluations of nutrient intake from the children's diet.