Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
Research Institute for child’s hygiene and health protection of Scientific Center for child’s health RAMS, Moscow
Kuchma V.R.; Skoblina N.A., e-mail: skoblina@niigd.ru; Milushkina O.Ju. , e-mail: olga@wintermute.ru; Bokareva N.A.; Yampolskaya Y.A., e-mail: yu.yamp@rambler.ru
Aim. The study of physical development in longitudinal researches is carried out with the aim to determine the dynamics of changes of anthropometric indicators, the level of biological maturation and functional indicators of children and adolescents at different time intervals. The processes of physical and sexual development are interconnected and reflect the general patterns of growth and development but at the same time they significantly depend on social-economic, sanitary-hygienic and other conditions, whose influence is mostly defined by human age. Materials and methods. The longitudinal studies of physical development of Moscow schoolchildren: 1960-1969. 1982-1991 and 2003-2012 were carried out by the staff of the Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents, Scientific Center of Children’s Health of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The third study has been carried out since 2003 till present time (according to the plan – till 2012). The findings of the third study (2003-2010) have been processed. During the study the following indicators have been measured and evaluated: body mass and length, chest circumference, ratios, stages of biological development and muscular strength of the right hand. Results. The 10-years time period of the observations allows to determine the vector of changes in somatic development, pubertal stages and functional capacities of children from one decade to another one. The third longitudinal study of physical development of Moscow children and adolescents shows that modern schoolchildren exceed their peers of the 1960’s and 1980’s in main anthropologic indicators (body mass and length, chest circumference) and the level of biological development (menarcheal age and the degree of secondary sexual characteristics occur at an earlier age). The findings show a change of body proportions in modern schoolchildren: the increase of body length is combined with the significant increase in leg length. During longitudinal observations of 2003-2010 the decrease of functional indicators (dynamometry) in children of all age groups was found. Conclusion. The revealed changes in all total body dimensions and indicators of biological development in Moscow schoolchildren show positive shifts in physical development, and possibly a new phase in the process of acceleration. Thus, children of all age groups (8-15 years old) had a significant decrease of functional indicators (hand grip strength). The findings dictate the necessity in modern reference tables for the assessment of physical development, re-evaluation of guidelines of biological development of schoolchildren and in explaining the reasons for decrease of functional indicators.
longitudinal studies, physical development, level of biological development, functional indicators
Цит.: Kuchma V.R., Skoblina N.A., Milushkina O.Ju., Bokareva N.A., Yampolskaya Y.A. Characteristics of morphofunctional indicators of Moscow schoolchildren aged 8–15 years (on the results of longitudinal studies) // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2012; 1/2012; с. 76-83
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