Veljko Vukićević, Nikola Lukić, Slobodan Vignjević, Dejan Obrenov

The aim of the study was to explore the physical status, motor skills, nutritional habits and physical activity of elementary school students in relation to their gender. The sample of respondents consisted of 75 5th to 8th grade students. According to the gender structure, the sample consisted of 46 boys and 29 girls whose average age was 13.2±1.2. For the assessment of their physical development, body height and weight were measured, based on which the students’ body mass index (BMI) was calculated. To assess motor skills, a a battery of tests was implemented to monitor the physical abilities of the elementary school students during physical education classes. For the purpose of assessment of the level of physical activity the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents - PAQ-A was implemented, while the KIDMED Questionnaire was used to assess the students’ diet. The overall prevalence of obesity among the students is 32% and in relation to the gender, it is higher in girls. Boys achieved better results in all motor skills, except flexibility. In relation to the observed segments of physical activity, boys are more active after school and at weekends. It was found that 41.3% of students have an optimal diet, 41.3% of them should improve their diet, while 17.3% have an unhealthy diet. No differences were perceived between male and female students in terms of diet.

Keywords: students, motor skills, physical status, physical activity, diet

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