20.500.12556/RUL-177284 Sex- and age-specific characteristics of running performance assessed by OptoJump in pre-school children aged 3 to 6 years Background/Objectives: Running is among the most prevalent forms of physical activity in preschool-aged children and constitutes a fundamental component for the effective execution of other motor patterns. The main aim of this study is to determine how fundamental running parameters change with age and whether there are differences between sexes. Methods: Four-hundred and five pre-school children with the mean (SD) age = 4.9 (1.1) years, height = 111.2 (9.3) cm, weight = 20.0 (4.2) kg, 53.5% girls were recruited from 34 kindergartens in four major cities. The inclusion criteria involved children aged 3–6 years with typical development and without any locomotor or mental disorders and diseases, who were enrolled in day care. Running performance was assessed in preschool children using a 10-m sprint test. Sprint parameters were measured with the OptoJump modular system, an infrared platform that accurately quantifies kinematic variables. Sex (boys vs. girls) and age (3 to 6 years old) differences were calculated by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Kruskal–Wallis H-test with post hoc comparison test between the groups. Results: In general, the results indicated that statistically significant differences between boys and girls were observed across the following levels: (1) temporal–kinematic step phase, (2) spatiotemporal movement characteristics, and (3) propulsive phase as an indicator of muscular activity. However, these differences were not consistent across all age groups. Conclusions: This study provides new insights into the spatiotemporal characteristics of running in preschool-aged children. The findings may assist in the early identification of potential motor deviations and in the planning of more effective strategies to promote physical activity during the preschool period. children motor patterns propulsive phase running performance spatiotemporal characteristics temporal–kinematic phases spolne razlike predšolska vzgoja tek true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-12-19 11:24:18 2025-12-19 11:24:19 2026-01-07 12:02:25 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 10 str. iss. 12, art. 1684 Vol. 12 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 373.32.016:79 2227-9067 10.3390/children12121684 261662467 RAZ_Ljubicic_Sanja_2025.pdf RAZ_Ljubicic_Sanja_2025.pdf 1 1E29FBAEFF3823B0B590090BF2139BF9 bc383f0dfa5bf6c1b236ce1b00b5bac50a2821793851c3ee3b9e081b7797eccd d2dd7e9b-dcc5-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=224232 https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/12/1684 1 6f2b2f63-dcc4-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=224229 Pedagoška fakulteta 0 0 0