The Impact of Advancements in Science and Technology on Cypriots’ Physical Activities over Time

Due to special historical circumstances, advancements in science and technology have affected various aspects of Cypriot people’s life relatively late. However, since the modern way of life requires less and less compulsory physical activity, this has manifested itself recently in the spreading of a sedentary lifestyle in Cyprus also. The purpose of this paper is to present the changes in the frequency, intensity and type of physical activity throughout three Cypriot generations. It is based on a part of research carried out by survey method of the population of that consisted of secondary school students, their parents, and their grandparents. The sample was selected by stratified, random, and snowball selection (N = 1067). With the youngest generation, the data were collected in groups at their school by questionnaire; the members of other two groups answered the questionnaires individually. In order to analyze the data, the Wilcoxon two related sample test and chi-square analyses were performed. The results revealed that the older generations’ everyday life encompassed more active elements in their childhood and youth than the youngsters’ life comprises nowadays. Both intragenerational and intergenerational changes in daily living and health-related physical activity occurred, and the advancements in science and technology have had a contradictory impact on these processes. In the conclusions, the necessity of taking measures to stop the decline of physical activity is emphasized.