Damir Sekulić
Biographic Data
| ID | 7745622 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Damir Sekulić |
| GIVEN NAMES | Damir |
| FAMILY NAME | Sekulić |
| SIGNATURE | SEKULIĆ D |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Split |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8022-7886 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 40 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 40 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Factors associated with potential doping behavior among Swedish combat sport athletes
Compatibility of physical education curricula with physical literacy across 40 European countries
Although the student-centred concept of physical literacy (PL) has been emphasized by UNESCO, knowledge about its adoption/implementation into PE remains scant. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate and compare the compatibility of PE curricula with PL in Europe. We collaboratively gathered a panel of experts encompassing 40 European countries. In the first step, the experts were invited to freely specify the compatibility of country’…
Analyzing the Associations between Facets of Physical Literacy, Physical Fitness, and Physical Activity Levels
Physical literacy (PL) is theorized to be an important determinant of physical fitness (PF) and physical activity levels (PALs), but studies have rarely examined possible correlations between PL, PF, and PAL in preadolescent children. This study aimed to evaluate age-specific and gender-specific correlations between the affective and cognitive domains of PL (PLAC), PF, and PAL in preadolescents. Additionally, the test–retest reliability of the ap…
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its association with rapid weight loss among former elite combat sports athletes in Serbia
This study suggests that former elite CSA who used RWL during their sports career are susceptible to negative metabolic alterations at the end of their competitive period
Evaluation of Physical Literacy in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children
The awareness of the importance of physical literacy (PL) is globally increasing; however, knowledge of the applicability of PL measurement tools in southeastern Europe is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of translated versions of the CAPL-2 and PLAYself questionnaires in 9- to 11-year-old elementary school children from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The participants were 303 children …
Effectiveness of Physical-Literacy-Based Online Education on Indices of Physical Fitness in High-School Adolescents
There is a global consensus that physical literacy (PL) is an important determinant of physical fitness (PF), but studies have rarely examined the effects of PL-based interventions on PF. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of specific online video-based PL intervention on PF indices in high-school students from Croatia. Participants were 423 high-school adolescents (295 girls, 128 boys; 14-to-18 years of age), divided into…
Loneliness in sports active and non-active school-age children
This research results could represent the right direction for educators and/or parents in their endeavor to preserve and develop school-age children's mental health
How Different Predominant Sars-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Affected Clinical Patterns and Performances of Infected Professional Players during Two Soccer Seasons
There are limited data describing clinical patterns and match running performance (MRP) among players with COVID-19 infection before and after infection, particularly related to different predominant SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as in comparison to uninfected players. This observational study was conducted during two consecutive soccer seasons in one professional club in Split, Croatia. There were four clusters of mild, self-limited, or asymptoma…
Out-of-School Sports Participation Is Positively Associated with Physical Literacy, but What about Physical Education? A Cross-Sectional Gender-Stratified Analysis during the Covid-19 Pandemic among H…
Physical literacy (PL) is one of the main concepts related to lifelong physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF), but there is a lack of information on factors that might be associated with PL in adolescents from southeastern Europe. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between PF, participation and achievement in physical education (PE), out-of-school participation in sports, and PL in high school adolescents from Croatia. Partic…
Predictors of Reactive Agility in Early Puberty
Reactive agility (RAG) is a crucial factor of success in sports, but there are practically no studies dealing with RAG among children. The main aim of this study was to identify predictors of RAG among early pubescent boys and girls. The participants were primary school boys ( n = 73) and girls ( n = 59) aged 11-12. The criterion variable was the originally developed "Triangle" test of reactive agility (Triangle-RAG). Predictors included anthropo…
Stress Levels in Handball Coaching–Case Study
Stress plays a significant role in competitions and in the training of sports participants, and coaches are no exception. To better cope with stressful situations, close monitoring of coaches' stress levels before, during, and after training and competitions is recommended. According to studies, the use of cortisol (C) and alpha-amylase (AA) as biomarkers for monitoring acute stress is recommended. Therefore, the aim of our study was to compare H…
Association between Physical Fitness, Physical Activity Level and Sense of Coherence in Swedish Adolescents; An Analysis of Age and Sex Differences
Poor sedentary behavior was significantly associated with weaker SOC for both genders, indicating overall physical activity as the most important factor for stronger SOC. However, emotional support in vulnerable environments may have a bigger impact than physical activity or sedentary behavior on the SOC value for adolescents
Echocardiographic Characterization of Left Heart Morphology and Function in Highly Trained Male Judo Athletes
The long-term practice of judo can lead to various changes in the heart including increased dimensions of the left ventricle in diastole and thickening of the interventricular septum and the posterior wall of the left ventricle. This study aimed to assess left ventricular morphology and function in elite male judokas. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted that included a total of 20 subjects, 10 judokas, and 10 healthy non-athletes ag…
The Impact of Scholastic Factors on Physical Activity Levels during the Covid-19 Lockdown
Scholastic factors (academic achievement) are hypothesized to be important determinants of health-related behaviors in adolescents, but there is a lack of knowledge on their influence on physical activity levels (PAL), especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposed lockdown. This study aimed to investigate the associations between scholastic factors and PAL before and during the pandemic lockdown. The participants were adolescents f…
Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after Covid-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in sport has been the subject of numerous studies over the past two years. However, knowledge about the direct impact of COVID-19 infection on the performance of athletes is limited, and the importance of studies on this topic is crucial during the current pandemic era. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the match running performance (MRP) of professional soccer players that occurred as a result of COV…
The Effect of the Covid-19 Lockdown on the Position-Specific Match Running Performance of Professional Football Players; Preliminary Observational Study
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted professional football in the 2019/2020 season, and football experts anticipate that the consequences of lockdown measures will negatively affect the physical performance of players once competition restarts. This study aimed to evaluate position-specific match running performance (MRP) to determine the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on the physical performance of professional football players. Players' MRPs ( n = 1…
Principles of Rapid Weight Loss in Female Sambo Athletes
In combat sports, competitors are separated into weight divisions, to create equality between the athletes. Consequently, rapid weight loss (RWL) is a common practice in combat sports. Although the methods used to induce RWL are similar among athletes, currently, there are limited data concerning the RWL methodologies used by sambo athletes. Therefore, this study aimed at determining RWL procedures among female sambo athletes. Participants in the…
Levels and Changes of Physical Activity in Adolescents during the Covid-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing implemented shortly after influence physical activity levels (PALs). The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the changes in PAL and factors associated with PALs among Croatian adolescents while considering the impact of community (urban vs. rural living environment). The sample included 823 adolescents (mean age: 16.5 ± 2.1 years) who were tested on baseline (from October 2019 to March 202…
Predicting Injury Status in Adolescent Dancers Involved in Different Dance Styles
The positive effects of dance on health indices in youth are widely recognized, but participation in dance is accompanied with a certain risk of injury. This prospective study aimed to investigate injury occurrence and to evaluate the possible influences of specific predictors on the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems and injuries in adolescent dancers. Participants were 126 dancers (21 males; 11-18 years), who were competitors in the urban d…
Contextualizing Parental/Familial Influence on Physical Activity in Adolescents before and during Covid-19 Pandemic
Parental and familial factors influence numerous aspects of adolescents' lives, including their physical activity level (PAL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in PAL which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to evaluate influence of sociodemographic and parental/familial factors on PAL levels before and during pandemic in adolescents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample included 688 adolescents (15-18 years of age;…
Agility Testing in Youth Football (Soccer)Players; Evaluating Reliability, Validity, and Correlates of Newly Developed Testing Protocols
Reactive agility (RAG) and change of direction speed (CODS) are important determinants of success in football (soccer), but there is an evident lack of information on reliable and valid football-specific testing procedures which will be applicable in defining sport-specific RAG and CODS in youth players. This study evaluated reliability and construct validity of newly developed tests of football-specific RAG (FS_RAG) and CODS (FS_CODS), which inv…
Physical Activity, Body Mass, and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Preschool Children
Physical activity, body mass, and dietary habits are known to be important determinants of overall health status, but there is an evident lack of studies that examine these issues specifically in preschool children. The aim of this study was to identify associations that may exist between adhering to the Mediterranean diet (MD), levels of physical activity (PA), and body composition indices in apparently healthy preschool children from southern C…
Analysis of the Association between Running Performance and Game Performance Indicators in Professional Soccer Players
Running performance (RP) and game performance indicators (GPI) are important determinants of success in soccer (football), but there is an evident lack of knowledge about the possible associations between RP and GPI. This study aimed to identify associations between RP and GPI in professional soccer players and to compare RP and GPI among soccer playing positions. One hundred one match performances were observed over the course of half of a seaso…
Importance of Agility Performance in Professional Futsal Players; Reliability and Applicability of Newly Developed Testing Protocols
The purpose of this study was to determine the inter- and intra-testing reliability of newly developed tests of the change of direction speed (CODS) and reactive agility (RAG) in competitive futsal players. Additionally, the developed tests were evaluated for their validity with regard to the differentiation of two performance-levels. Thirty-two professional male futsal players (age = 26.22 ± 5.22 years; body height = 182.13 ± 5.99 cm, body mass …
Injury Occurrence and Return to Dance in Professional Ballet
Professional ballet is a highly challenging art, but studies have rarely examined factors associated with injury status in ballet professionals. This study aimed to prospectively examine gender-specific correlates of injury occurrence and time-off from injury in professional ballet dancers over a one-year period. The participants were 99 professional ballet dancers (41 males and 58 females). Variables included: (i) predictors: sociodemographic da…
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Religiousness as a Protective Factor for Substance Use in Dance Sport
Can We Consider Religiousness as a Protective Factor Against Doping Behavior in Sport
Complex Interaction of Religiousness with other Factors in Relation to Substance Use and Misuse Among Female Athletes
Substance abuse prevalence and its relation to scholastic achievement and sport factors
In this study, the incidence of smoking and the consumption of alcohol were alarmingly high. These findings demonstrate the need for intervention programs to address these issues. These problems are particularly important, considering that substance abuse has a negative impact on educational achievement among boys and girls, and sport factors have not been found to be protective factors against substance abuse
Religiousness as a Factor of Hesitation Against Doping Behavior in College-Age Athletes
Gender-Specific Analyses of the Prevalence and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse among Bosniak Adolescents
Ethnicity and religion are known to be important factors associated with substance use and misuse (SUM). Ethnic Bosniaks, Muslims by religion, are the third largest ethnic group in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, but no study has examined SUM patterns among them. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of SUM and to examine scholastic-, familial- and sport-factors associated with SUM in adolescent Bosniaks from Bosnia-and-Herz…
Prevalence and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse among Kosovar Adolescents; Cross Sectional Study of Scholastic, Familial-, and Sports-Related Factors of Influence
Adolescence is considered to be the most important period for the prevention of substance use and misuse (SUM). The aim of this study was to investigate the problem of SUM and to establish potentially important factors associated with SUM in Kosovar adolescents. Multi-stage simple random sampling was used to select participants. At the end of their high school education, 980 adolescents (623 females) ages 17 to 19 years old were enrolled in the s…
An Examination of the Ethnicity-Specific Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse
Substance use and misuse (SUM) in adolescence is a significant public health problem and the extent to which adolescents exhibit SUM behaviors differs across ethnicity. This study aimed to explore the ethnicity-specific and gender-specific associations among sports factors, familial factors, and personal satisfaction with physical appearance (i.e., covariates) and SUM in a sample of adolescents from Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this c…
Gender- and Sport-Specific Associations Between Religiousness and Doping Behavior in High-Level Team Sports
Prospective Analysis of the Influence of Sport and Educational Factors on the Prevalence and Initiation of Smoking in Older Adolescents from Croatia
The prevalence of smoking among Croatian adolescents is alarmingly high, but no previous study has prospectively examined the sport- and academic-factors associated with smoking and smoking initiation. This study aimed to prospectively examine the associations between scholastic (educational) achievement and sport factors and smoking in 16- to 18-year-old adolescents. This two-year prospective cohort study included 644 adolescents who were 16 yea…
Evidencing Protective and Risk Factors for Harmful Alcohol Drinking in Adolescence
Background: The prevalence of alcohol drinking (AD) in Croatian adolescents is alarming, but there is an evident lack of prospective analyses of the protective/risk factors of AD. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the relationships between scholastic and sport factors and harmful alcohol drinking (HD) in older adolescents. Methods: The participants (n = 644, 53.7% females) were 16 years of age at study baseline and were tested at base…
Identification of Factors Associated with Potential Doping Behavior in Sports
Background : Doping behavior, including the misuse of performance-enhancing drugs, is currently a serious problem in sports, and the efficacy of preventive efforts directly depends on information regarding the associations among different precipitating factors (PF) and doping behavior. This study aimed to establish the PF of potential doping behavior (PDB) in competitive swimmers. Methods : The study included 301 swimmers from Slovenia (153 femal…
Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality Are Associated with Physical Activity in Elderly People Living in Nursing Homes
The main purpose of the study was to explore the associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with physical activity (PA). In this cross-sectional study, participants were 894 elderly individuals (mean age 80 ± 3 years; 56.0% women) living in nursing homes. PA, sleep duration, and sleep quality (based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) were self-reported. The associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with PA at the nursing h…
Physical Activity, Body Mass, and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Preschool Children
Physical activity, body mass, and dietary habits are known to be important determinants of overall health status, but there is an evident lack of studies that examine these issues specifically in preschool children. The aim of this study was to identify associations that may exist between adhering to the Mediterranean diet (MD), levels of physical activity (PA), and body composition indices in apparently healthy preschool children from southern C…
Analysis of the Association between Running Performance and Game Performance Indicators in Professional Soccer Players
Running performance (RP) and game performance indicators (GPI) are important determinants of success in soccer (football), but there is an evident lack of knowledge about the possible associations between RP and GPI. This study aimed to identify associations between RP and GPI in professional soccer players and to compare RP and GPI among soccer playing positions. One hundred one match performances were observed over the course of half of a seaso…
Importance of Agility Performance in Professional Futsal Players; Reliability and Applicability of Newly Developed Testing Protocols
The purpose of this study was to determine the inter- and intra-testing reliability of newly developed tests of the change of direction speed (CODS) and reactive agility (RAG) in competitive futsal players. Additionally, the developed tests were evaluated for their validity with regard to the differentiation of two performance-levels. Thirty-two professional male futsal players (age = 26.22 ± 5.22 years; body height = 182.13 ± 5.99 cm, body mass …
Injury Occurrence and Return to Dance in Professional Ballet
Professional ballet is a highly challenging art, but studies have rarely examined factors associated with injury status in ballet professionals. This study aimed to prospectively examine gender-specific correlates of injury occurrence and time-off from injury in professional ballet dancers over a one-year period. The participants were 99 professional ballet dancers (41 males and 58 females). Variables included: (i) predictors: sociodemographic da…
Investigating the Prevalence and Predictors of Injury Occurrence in Competitive Hip Hop Dancers
Hip hop is a popular form of competitive and recreational sport worldwide, but studies rarely investigate injury prevalence and factors associated with injury occurrence in this sport. This study aimed to prospectively examine injury occurrence in hip hop dancers in a three-month period and to evaluate potential predictors of injury occurrence in hip hop dancers. The participants were 129 competitive hip hop dancers (114 females, 17.95 ± 4.15 yea…
Toward Prevention of Doping in Youth Sport
Doping is recognized as one of the most important problems in sports, but a limited number of studies have investigated doping problems in youth athletes. This study aimed to evaluate doping tendency (potential doping behavior (PDB)) and correlates of PDB in youth age swimmers. The participants were 241 competitive swimmers (131 females; 15.3 ± 1.1 years of age, all under 18 years old). Variables included predictors and PDB (criterion). Predictor…
Levels and Changes of Physical Activity in Adolescents during the Covid-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing implemented shortly after influence physical activity levels (PALs). The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the changes in PAL and factors associated with PALs among Croatian adolescents while considering the impact of community (urban vs. rural living environment). The sample included 823 adolescents (mean age: 16.5 ± 2.1 years) who were tested on baseline (from October 2019 to March 202…
Predicting Injury Status in Adolescent Dancers Involved in Different Dance Styles
The positive effects of dance on health indices in youth are widely recognized, but participation in dance is accompanied with a certain risk of injury. This prospective study aimed to investigate injury occurrence and to evaluate the possible influences of specific predictors on the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems and injuries in adolescent dancers. Participants were 126 dancers (21 males; 11-18 years), who were competitors in the urban d…
Contextualizing Parental/Familial Influence on Physical Activity in Adolescents before and during Covid-19 Pandemic
Parental and familial factors influence numerous aspects of adolescents' lives, including their physical activity level (PAL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in PAL which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to evaluate influence of sociodemographic and parental/familial factors on PAL levels before and during pandemic in adolescents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample included 688 adolescents (15-18 years of age;…
Agility Testing in Youth Football (Soccer)Players; Evaluating Reliability, Validity, and Correlates of Newly Developed Testing Protocols
Reactive agility (RAG) and change of direction speed (CODS) are important determinants of success in football (soccer), but there is an evident lack of information on reliable and valid football-specific testing procedures which will be applicable in defining sport-specific RAG and CODS in youth players. This study evaluated reliability and construct validity of newly developed tests of football-specific RAG (FS_RAG) and CODS (FS_CODS), which inv…
The Impact of Scholastic Factors on Physical Activity Levels during the Covid-19 Lockdown
Scholastic factors (academic achievement) are hypothesized to be important determinants of health-related behaviors in adolescents, but there is a lack of knowledge on their influence on physical activity levels (PAL), especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposed lockdown. This study aimed to investigate the associations between scholastic factors and PAL before and during the pandemic lockdown. The participants were adolescents f…
Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after Covid-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in sport has been the subject of numerous studies over the past two years. However, knowledge about the direct impact of COVID-19 infection on the performance of athletes is limited, and the importance of studies on this topic is crucial during the current pandemic era. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the match running performance (MRP) of professional soccer players that occurred as a result of COV…
Medicine (36 works) · Psychology (28 works) · Physical therapy (22 works) · Demography (19 works) · Demography (17 works) · Environmental health (13 works) · Internal Medicine (12 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (10 works) · Athletes (9 works) · Poison control (9 works)