Annual dynamics of parameters of physical development of boys and girls aged 18 and 19

Abstract

The questions concerning the terms of juvenile age body measurement as well as body composition variability remain relevance and academic novelty. Such studies results data are essential for systematic analysis on secular trend of young generation development.Material and methods. Longitudinal study of physical development (length, body weight, muscle and fat component) of boys and girls aged 18 and 19, studying at 1–2 courses of university and living in a dormitory has been applied.Results and discussion. In boys and girls aged 18–19, body length and body weight have increased for 1 year on average by 1.5 and 0.9 cm and by 1.3 and 1.2 kg, respectively. In 22.6 % of boys and 54.8 % of girls body length does not change. The annual changes in the fat component are not reliable, whereas the muscle component increases significantly by 3 % in boys and by 0.8 % in girls. Students living in a dormitory often experience a lack of night sleep, they do not have enough physical activity, consume not enough calories, valuable proteins and fats. Because of this, physical development may deteriorate.Conclusions. The annual variability of the indicators of physical development of students aged 18–19 years indicates the ongoing processes of growth and development, which are more pronounced in boys, in girls there is a tendency to stabilize the length of the body. Knowledge about the sensitivity of the body of first-year students mastering the requirements for studying at a university and independent living in a dormitory is necessary for the organization of work on pedagogical support during the adaptation of first-year students.