The growth and maturation of a child’s body are going on continuously, but unevenly. Therefore, children of the same age may have different growth and functional abilities. On the initiative of the Latvian government, a pilot project was launched, which aims to evaluate the readiness of children to start school at the age of six as well as compare physical development, separate functional abilities, and posture for six and seven-year-old children of regions of Latvia and Rīga preschool educational institutions. The study involved 918 children, who were divided into two groups — Rīga (R) and regions of Latvia (RL). Respondents in each group were further divided by age — six- and seven-year-olds, and by sex. Anthropometric parameters were determined for each individual’s height, weight, chest circumference, lung vital capacity (PVC), forearm flexor muscle strength, and posture. In our study, the mean values of height for six-year-old girls were: R – 117.6 ± 5.8 cm, RL – 117.1 ± 6.3 cm, for boys R – 118.7 ± 5.0 cm, RL – 118.6 ± 5.1 cm. Seven-year-old children had an average increase in chest circumference of 1 to 2 cm, both by sex and by place of residence. Symmetrical posture was observed only for six-year-old children in 23.1% of cases and 17.1% of seven-year-old children. 59.5% of the children in the study group spent more than one hour a day watching TV, and 66.3% played computer games every day. The results of the study showed that children aged six and seven years grew and functionally developed very differently and individually. These age groups of children did not have accelerated growth ages; there were no large annual increases. A relatively small sex dimorphism was observed. The readiness of six-year-old children to start school should be assessed very individually by the child’s parents in collaboration with the pediatrician.
This data is a part from the study ordered by the Ministry of Education to assess physical development of pre-school children in Latvia. Various somatometric measurements were determined -height (cm), the body mass (kg), the circumference of the head, chest, waist, hips (cm), vital lung capacity (ml), blood pressure (mm/Hg) and other parameters. This study evaluates the body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity prevalence of pre-school children. Comparing the data with the data of other European countries, we can conclude how high the prevalence of overweight and obesity in our country is and what are potential activities to reduce the prevalence.
Physical inactivity, screen time and sedentary behaviour among young children is increasing. These factors have an impact on future health conditions increasing the risk of metabolic, cardiovascular and posture diseases. The World Health Organization has issued the guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children of less than 5 years of age that shows contributing factors for healthy individuals starting from early childhood. Only few studies show the true state of posture diseases among preschool children. In our study we tried to find the problems of posture symmetry and type among young children for first time in Latvia. The conclusions after the study were similar to tendencies in the world. The posture disorders and asymmetrical posture increased with the age of children and sedentary behaviour (TV and computer) had a negative impact on the posture status.
The number of people with excess weight increases every year. Overweight and obesity in childhood can cause several chronic diseases in adulthood. Children with excess body mass develop more morphological and functional changes, including pulmonary functions. One of the common methods to assess lung function is spirometry. This method is a challenge in assessing lung function for pre-school age children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between lung vital capacity and body mass index for the pre-school children aged 3–7 years in Rīga. In total 995 pre-school children were included in the study. An informative consent and questionnaire about the development of each individual child was filled in by parents. Several measurements were performed, including height, body mass, and lung vital capacity. This is the first study in Latvia where several morphologic and somatometric measurements were determined in children of pre-school age. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between lung vital capacity and body height, mass, and chest circumference. The correlation between lung vital capacity and body mass index was not statistically significant. The main results do not differ from the results of similar studies in other countries. The obtained results will help to create a standard of morphological and somatometric parameters in pre-school aged children in Rīga region.
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