Author(s): JUKIC, I., MILANOVIC, L., DADIC, M., STIMAC, S., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB, FACULTY OF KINESIOLOGY, Country: CROATIA, Abstract-ID: 1392

INTRODUCTION:
Generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) is a clinically and functionally relevant characteristic with potential implications for injury risk, motor control, and physical performance. Previous research consistently reports higher prevalence of GJH among females compared with males in general and athletic populations; however, data for kinesiology students - who represent a physically active academic cohort - remain limited. The aim of this study is to examine sex-based differences in GJH prevalence and score distribution in a large sample of kinesiology students. This work is part of the scientific research project “Biochemical and Genetic Mechanisms in the Development of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries: A Novel Concept for Injury Prevention” (NPOO.C3.2.R3-I1.04.0284), funded by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Science Foundation.
METHODS:
A total of 204 kinesiology students (males and females, age: 20.42±1.40 years) were screened for generalized joint hypermobility using the Beighton scoring system (0-9), administered by trained assessors under standardized testing conditions. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize score distributions by sex. Comparative analyses (Mann-Whitney U test) assessed sex differences in total scores, while prevalence thresholds (≥4/9, and sensitivity analyses using ≥5/9) were calculated to classify GJH. Additional exploratory analyses examined distributional patterns across individual Beighton test items.
RESULTS:
The results showed a statistically significant difference in GJH between females and males (p < 0.001). Females demonstrated greater joint hypermobility than males, as indicated by higher mean rank values (females = 135.4; males = 84.6). Prevalence of GJH was 50% when using the ≥4/9 cut-off. When applying the stricter ≥5/9 threshold in sensitivity analyses, prevalence decreased to 33.82%, indicating that a substantial proportion of participants had borderline Beighton scores. Exploratory analyses of individual Beighton test items showed that females had higher prevalence of positive findings across nearly all joints. The highest frequencies in females were observed in elbow hyperextension, fifth-finger extension, and trunk flexion.
CONCLUSION:
These findings provide new insight into sex-specific patterns of GJH within a population of future sport and exercise professionals. Also, suggest that sex differences in GJH are not uniformly distributed across joints but tend to cluster in the upper extremities. Identifying these differences may have implications for individualized programming in strength and conditioning, injury prevention strategies, and motor learning approaches in educational settings. This study may also serve as a reference dataset for young adult populations in Central Europe.