Features of the biological development of schoolchildren in the Moscow region with different levels of health

Abstract

BACKGROUND. The study of the health status of the younger generation, and the dynamics of the schoolchildren physical and biological development remains an urgent scientific problem both in our country and around the world. Changes in the lifestyle of modern children and adolescents require regular revision and updating of regional standards for physical and biological development. AIM. Analysis of the dynamics of puberty in modern schoolchildren depending on their health status, with subsequent updating of schoolchildren biological development standards in the Moscow region. MATERIALS AND METHODS. In the 2020s, an observational single-center cross-sectional sample study of the schoolchildren health status, physical and biological development in the Moscow region aged 12-16 years was carried out. Assessment of physical and biological development was conducted in each age and sex group according to standard methods using certified anthropometric instruments with measurements of body length and weight. RESULTS: The study involved 508 schoolchildren with different levels of health: first health group – 107 (21.1%), second – 208 (58.7%), third – 103 (20.2%). Among the functional abnormalities in the study sample, the leading ones were diseases of the eye and its adnexal apparatus (24%), and in the structure of chronic diseases, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (20%). The level of biological development in schoolchildren assigned to the first and to the second health groups in comparison with schoolchildren from the third health group did not differ significantly (p 0.05), however, there was a tendency towards to a later development of secondary sexual characteristics in schoolchildren with chronic diseases. Significant (p=0.038) differences in the age at menarche in girls were found depending on the level of physical development. The data indicate that when developing standards for biological development, it is necessary to take into account the data of only schoolchildren who have 1 and 2 health groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study clearly demonstrated the prevalence of functional abnormalities and chronic diseases of various nosologies among modern schoolchildren in the Moscow region. The results of the study formed the basis of updated standards for the schoolchildren biological development in the Moscow region.