Officially accepted reports on physical fitness and physical activity of children and adolescents of Slovenian primary and secondary schools, since 1970 report on changing trends. According to various data, the percentage of children and adolescents with low mobility is expected to increase in the period between 1991 and 2014. In 2015, the number of children and adolescents with reduced mobility competences began to decline, with the exception of students between the ages of 16 and 18. Meanwhile gender differences, unfortunately, are still increasing. A significantly increase is observed in the proportion of boys who are less physically competent than girls. Researches have found that a quarter of a century ago, there were more girls than boys with lower levels of mobility, but today there is almost two percent more boys than girls who have lower level of mobility. The purpose of our research is to identify the differences between generations in the mobility of the shoulder ring and hip joint. We have escorted the results of children and adolescents aged 6 - 14 years, in the period from 1993 to 2013. During the twenty years of measurment, we have obtained results of 20.500 participants. To measure the mobiliy of the shoulder ring, we used a stick test and to measure the mobility of the hip joint, sit and reach test. For statistics analysis we used the method of analysis of variance for the dependent samples and post hoc test to find statistically significant differences. The differences in hip joint flexibility, across generations, were found in all age groups (6 – 14 let), both girls and boys. The differences were statistically significant in the period from 1993 to 2003, with the average value of the best measured result in 2003 being 3,3 centimeters lower for boys and 3,9 centimeters lower for girls than in the year 1993. In the period from 2003 to 2013 the trend has turned in the positive direction. Both boys and girls achieved similar results than boys and girls of the same age in the year of 1993. Statistically significant differences in the mobility of shoulder ring were considered only in the period from 1993 to 2013. Statistically significant differences occur in boys at almost all age groups, while in girls have shown statistically significant differences in only four age categories. The trend of shoulder ring mobility decreased from 1993 to 2013 in boys. The average results have decreased for 10 centimeters since 1993. In the year of 2003 in the age groups of 6 and 7 years old boys, the trend turned in the positive direction. The trend of shoulder ring mobility in girls did not have as many fluctuations as in boys. It remained unchanged for most age categories, while it turned in a negative direction for girls age of 7, 9, 12 and 13. Girls of these age groups have 5 centimeters lower results in the years 2003 and 2013 than the girls of the same age in 1993.
The results of our research are useful for promoting physical activity of children and adolescents and for comparing the results with future similar researches in Slovenia. The Phyiscal education teacher must also pay attention to the development of mobility, which is
crucial for performing movements in large amplitudes without injuries. The results represent the basis for future researches of this kind and a comparison with trend abroad.
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