Ales Suchomel

@tul.cz

Faculty of Science, Humanities and Education
Technical University of Liberec



           

https://researchid.co/ales.suchomel

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Kinesiology

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Education

12

Scopus Publications

Scopus Publications

  • Motor Competence Prevalence in School-Aged Czech Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
    Iva Šeflová, Josef Chudoba, Michael Duncan, Aleš Suchomel, and Václav Bunc
    Human Kinetics
    This study aimed to understand the motor competence (MC) level of Czech school-age children determined using the product-oriented Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (second edition) and to analyze the gender and age differences. The MC level in n = 637 children aged 6.0–11.0 years (46.6% girls) was evaluated using total motor composite and subcategories of fine and gross motor skills: fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination, and strength and agility. Seventy-one percent of children had at least a satisfactory level of MC. The distribution of the total motor composite score of the Czech sample was uneven, with only 11.0% scoring above average and 29.4% scoring below average. However, we found low-level of MC in almost one third of children. The prevalence of well-below average results was found at 7%. Significant differences were found depending on age (p < .001), where we observed decreased MC with increasing age. Gender differences were reflected in the poorer level of fine motor skills in boys (p < .001). Given the high prevalence of low MC, these findings suggest the need for effective intervention in Czech children as an important prerequisite for comprehensive development in physical, psychosocial, and cognitive aspects.

  • Normative-referenced values for health-related fitness among Czech youth: Physical fitness data from the study IPEN Adolescent Czech Republic
    Lukáš Rubín, Josef Mitáš, Michal Vorlíček, Jan Dygrýn, Aleš Suchomel, Justin J. Lang, and Grant R. Tomkinson
    National Institute of Public Health
    OBJECTIVES 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. METHODS 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. RESULTS 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. CONCLUSIONS 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.

  • Current Approaches to Motor Competence Assessment in School-Age Children
    Iva Šeflová, Jana Vašíčková, Luděk Kalfiřt, and Aleš Suchomel
    Uniwersytet Humanistyczno-Przyrodniczy im. Jana Dlugosza w Czestochowie
    Introduction: The importance of motor competence is particularly evident at school ages when any intervention approaches have the most significant impact. Aim of Study: The theoretical study aims to provide an overview and compare the descriptive and psychometric characteristics of the assessment tools that we can use to determine the level of motor competence in primary school-aged children. We paid particular attention to the possibilities of identifying motor competence deficits. Material and Methods: From the overview list of assessment tools, we selected the following for more detailed analysis: Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2, Körperkoordinatationstest für Kinder, Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition, Test zur Erfassung motorischer Basiskompetenzen. The presented article compares the possibilities of using these tests in the European environment in terms of their psychometric and descriptive characteristics. Results: Each submitted tests has certain advantages and disadvantages in the practical use, collection, evaluation, and interpretation of the data. Based on established criteria in descriptive and psychometric characteristics, we selected using the comparative method as the most appropriate means to assess the level of motor competence of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition. Conclusion: The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition, presents the most comprehensive diagnostic tool to assess motor competence and its difficulties, despite shortcomings such as the absence of normative-related criteria in more European countries and time-consuming testing. The time-consuming test and the suitability of individual access to the person being tested to collect and evaluate data make it difficult to establish the test battery as the gold standard in motor competence diagnostics. From a practical point of view, the material presented will help facilitate the choice of a specific assessment tool according to the educational or clinical goal of the research

  • Secular trends in the achievement of physical activity guidelines: Indicator of sustainability of healthy lifestyle in czech adolescents
    Josef Mitáš, Karel Frömel, Petr Valach, Aleš Suchomel, Michal Vorlíček, and Dorota Groffik
    MDPI AG
    (1) Background: The increasing socio-economic and educational demands on adolescents should be reflected in their lifestyles accordingly. The aim of the study was therefore to identify the trends in the achievement of physical activity (PA) guidelines by Czech adolescents through objective and subjective PA monitoring. (2) Methods: The research was carried out between 2010 and 2017 and involved 49 secondary schools, 2 higher vocational schools, and 8 universities in the Czech Republic. In total, the projects involved 1129 girls and 779 boys. PA monitoring was performed by Yamax SW-700 pedometers and IPAQ-long questionnaires. (3) Results: The results according to the average number of steps/day confirm a decrease in the amount of PA in boys and girls and in the achievement of the recommended 11,000 steps/day. However, the estimates of meeting the recommended weekly PA expressed as MET-min/week based on the IPAQ-long questionnaire are not so convincing about the decrease. (4) Conclusions: The combination of objective monitoring of weekly PA using wearables and subjective estimates of weekly PA using a questionnaire regarding the ease of application, appears to be a sufficient indicator of the status of and trend in PA and thus the sustainability of a healthy lifestyle in youths.

  • Executive summary of the Czech Republic’s 2018 report card on physical activity for children and youth
    Aleš Gába, Lukáš Rubín, Erik Sigmund, Petr Badura, Jan Dygrýn, Michal Kudláček, Dagmar Sigmundová, Eliška Materová, Zdenek Hamrik, Aleš Jakubec,et al.
    Palacky University Olomouc
    Background: Regular physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous health benefits. However, the decreasing level of PA and increasing screen-time among Czech children and youth has been well documented in the last two decades. To build effective intervention and prevention programs, it is necessary to review all available sources of evidence. Objective: The aim is to summarize the results of the first Czech Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth based on a synthesis of the most recently available evidence. Methods: The Report Card included 10 indicators. To inform the indicator grades, a multi-level search strategy was used to find all relevant sources that provide published/unpublished data collected from 2013 through 2018. The data were synthesised, and a set of standardized benchmarks was used to assign grades. Final grades were assigned upon consensus of all members of the national research work group. Results: We retrieved 724 records from database searches and 81 records identified through other sources. A total of 40 records were identified as eligible for data extraction. Overall PA in Czech children and youth was observed to be insufficient to support fitness and health, with high rates of excessive screen-time and low numbers of children and youth spending time in unstructured/unorganized play. On the other hand, some grades indicated promising foundations to build on in future. They are represented, for instance, by a relatively high number of children and youth participating in organized sports and/or PA programs, or generally PA-friendly setting (e.g., family and peers, school, and built environment). Conclusions: There is ample evidence that Czech children and youth are insufficiently active, and the prevalence of physical inactivity and excessive screen-time has increased in both sexes during the last two decades. Thus, PA in childhood and adolescence should be promoted intensively and effective intervention and prevention programs are needed.

  • Self-assessment of physical fitness in adolescents
    Lukáš Rubín, Aleš Suchomel, Roman Cuberek, Lada Dušková, and Marcela Tláskalová
    Asociacion Espanola de Analisis del Rendimiento Deportivo
    Purpose: Physical fitness is an important indicator of the current and future health condition in adolescents. In comparison with institutional testing, self-assessment of physical fitness offers a number of benefits, including minimization or elimination of possible negative experience with inter-individual comparison in the context of motor diagnostics. The main objective of this paper is to determine the distribution normality of the resulting data and the intersexual differences in self-assessment of physical fitness using selected test items of the INDARES battery in adolescents. Method: The study involved a total of 626 adolescents (345 boys and 281 girls) aged 11 to 19 years (14.56 ± 1.95 years) from selected cities in the Czech Republic. The participants performed self-testing of physical fitness by means of selected motor tests (push-ups, modified curl-ups, V-sit and reach and shoulder stretch) from the INDARES test battery. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the distribution normality of the self-testing data; the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the significance of inter-sexual differences in the average self-testing results. Results: The results showed normal data distribution in most motor tests except the push-up motor test (in boys older than 15 years normality was confirmed). The analysis confirmed the published findings concerning significantly better outcomes of flexibility in girls compared with boys. Conclusion: The present study suggests that the results of self-testing roughly correspond with the published findings based on institutional physical fitness assessment.

  • Is pedometer-determined physical activity decreasing in Czech adults? Findings from 2008 to 2013
    Jana Pelclová, Karel Frömel, Emil Řepka, Ladislav Bláha, Aleš Suchomel, Igor Fojtík, Dana Feltlová, Petr Valach, Svatopluk Horák, Jiří Nykodým,et al.
    MDPI AG
    Objective measured trend data are important for public health practice. However, these data are rare for an adult population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe time trends in pedometer-determined physical activity of Czech adults (25–65 years) from 2008 to 2013. Participants were Czech national citizens whose physical activity was assessed objectively using a Yamax Digiwalker SW-700 pedometer (Yamax Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) for seven consecutive days in the period 2008 to 2013. The final sample was 4647 Czech adults [M age 41.4 ± 10 years; M body mass index (BMI) 25.1 ± 3.7 kg/m2]. The results showed that men took more steps/day (M (Mean) = 10,014; 95% CI (Confidence Interval) = 9864–10,164) than women (M = 9448; 95% CI = 9322–9673) in all age and BMI groups. Mean steps/day declined from 2008 to 2013 by 852 steps/day in men and 1491 steps/day in women. In the whole sample, the proportion of participants who had a sedentary lifestyle (<5000 steps/day) increased by 5.8%; the proportion taking ≥10,000 steps/day decreased by 15.8%. In 2013, men and women were 2.67 and 2.05 times, respectively, more likely to have a physically inactive lifestyle (<7500 steps/day) than in 2008. Conversely, in 2008, men and women were 1.68 and 2.46 times, respectively, less likely to have very active lifestyle (>12,500 steps/day). In conclusion, this study suggests that there has been a substantial reduction in physical activity in Czech adults over time.

  • Is pedometer-determined day-of-the-week variability of step counts related to age and BMI in Czech men and women aged 50 to 70 years?
    Jana Pelclová, Karel Frömel, Emil Řepka, Ladislav Bláha, Aleš Suchomel, Igor Fojtík, Dana Feltlová, Petr Valach, Svatopluk Horák, and Jiří Nykodým
    Palacky University Olomouc
    Background: Day-to-day walking variability appears not to be random and may fluctuate by day of week or type of day (workdays/non-workdays). The day-of-the-week variability is less clear in period of life transition between the ages of 50–70 years. Moreover, it is unclear whether the variability is related to age or BMI. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the weekdays–weekends patterns and the day-to-day variability in step patterns in men and women of different age and BMI groups. Methods: During the years 2009–2012, 1,170 individuals (532 men and 638 women) aged 50–70 years participated in a seven-day monitoring using a Yamax Digiwalker SW-700 pedometer. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study contributes to the evidence with the findings about the existing the day-of-the-week variability of step counts per day in the population aged 50 to 64 years and about the absence of significant variability in seniors. Sunday was the least active day in different age and BMI groups aged 50 to 70 years of Czech population. Researchers and practitioners should take the results of this study into consideration when preparing for data collection of habitual physical activity in senior population and in the development of walking interventions and weight reduction programmes designed for this age group.

  • Self-reported physical activity in perceived neighborhood in Czech adults - National study
    Josef Mitáš, Karel Frömel, Svatopluk Horák, Jiří Nykodým, Oldřich Racek, Emil Řepka, Zdeněk Šebrle, Ladislav Bláha, Aleš Suchomel, Dana Feltlová,et al.
    Palacky University Olomouc
    Background: International studies associate physical activity (PA) to other factors such as the environment, culture, and policy. External influences on lifestyle and PA, such as the effect of the physical and built environment, are discussed. Neighborhood environments seem to be one of the important aspects in prevention of unhealthy lifestyle and physical inactivity research. Objective: The main objective is to analyze the relationship between PA and neighborhood environment of the adult population of the Czech Republic. The study tries to define the basic correlates of PA in relation to environmental and other socio-demographic factors. Methods: Nationwide data collection of adult PA was done regionally in the Czech Republic between the years 2005-2009 using the IPAQ (long) and ANEWS questionnaires. Results: The results show that males realize significantly more vigorous PA than females while females realize more moderate PA and walking than males. PA of residents of smaller communities is higher than those living in large cities. The level of weekly PA does not significantly affect the neighborhood walkability [H(3, 8708) = 19.60; p < .001; η2 = .002]. Conclusions: The results clearly indicate the need to connect multiple sectors that affect the lifestyle of the general population. Possible solution is an interdisciplinary approach to the evaluation of the fundamental environmental factors influencing the level of PA (walkability; SES; participation in organized and voluntary PA; neighborhood safety; type of transportation; size of the community).

  • The role of physical activity in the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the Liberec region
    Aleš Suchomel, Dagmar Sigmundová, and Karel Frömel
    Termedia Sp. z.o.o.
    Purpose. The aim of the study is to characterize physical activity and physical inactivity of the inhabitants of the Liberec region in their common life. Basic procedures. The research sample consisted of 818 males and 831 females aged 15–69, which were either systematically or randomly drawn from throughout the region. Physical activity and its correlates were assessed using the IPAQ questionnaire. Main findings. According to self-reported data, 10% of the inhabitants are insufficiently physically active, 30% are sufficiently physically active, and 60% are highly physically active. The median of performed physical activity in the inhabitants in Liberec region expressed in MET . min –1 . week –1 was 3822 MET . min –1 . week –1 (IQR = 4371). On average, men spent sitting 393 min and women 415 min in total during a working day. Out of the total sample of respondents, 58% of the inhabitants in the Liberec region were of normal weight, 9% were underweight, 23% were overweight and 10% obese. Conclusions. These facts point to the necessity of increasing knowledge about the negative impacts of inactive behavior and emphasizing the advantages of performing regular physical activity along with the need to establish such conditions that would contribute to physical activity performance.

  • The biological age of prepubescent and pubescent children with low and high motor efficiency.
    A. Suchomel
    Schweizerbart
    The aim of the study was to analyze the relations between some criteria of the biological age (growth age, biological proportional age) and motor efficiency in school-aged boys and girls (8-9 and 12-13 years old) with considerably above-average and considerably below-average total score of the test battery UNIFITTEST (6-60). The growth age results of 8 chosen groups (17-25 individuals in one group) showed that classifying the selected individuals into the normative height bands was in no relation to their age, sex or level of motor efficiency. As for the height-weight proportionality, the older the individuals were, the more of them belonged to the bands with relatively bigger weight. Analyzing the results of the biological proportional age, we did not find any significant differences between the groups of identical sex, age and different motor efficiency. Boys and girls with either low or high motor efficiency were mostly biologically average and biologically accelerated in the growth and development.

  • Intervention project to long-term increase of physical activity of children with low level of motor fitness and their parents