PhD, Associate Professor N.N. Vengerova¹
T.M. Piskun¹
Dr. Hab., Professor V.A. Shchegolev¹
PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Mukhina^1
1Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg

Keywords: tests, physical fitness indices, university students, age- and gender-specific standards, correction.

Background. The national health experts are concerned by the falling somatic health standards of the university entrants due to both the hereditary factors and diseases rooted in the secondary school education period [1, 6, 7]. The students’ daily physical activity is reported varying far under the physiological health norm with the relevant negative effects on the bodily functionality and natural protection mechanisms. Multiple health studies have found the unhealthy student population growing for the last decade up to 30.0% of the total [4, 5].

Objective of the study was to design, based on the students’ physicality and functionality tests, and test benefits of a new special health group-specific physical training and health model.

Methods and structure of the study. We sampled the 17-18 year old students of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University’s Institute of Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering and Transport (n=148) and Institute of Computer Science and Technology (n=64), and used the standard medical examination reports to qualify them for the special health groups for academic Physical Education service complemented by a new physical training and health model. The physical development of the sample was rated by the traditional method of anthropometrics, functionality tests and physical fitness tests versus the age- and gender-specific standards. The group physical training and health service was customized to the nosological groups (diagnoses) [8, 9, 11].

Most of the sample was diagnosed with the musculoskeletal and vision system disorders, in compliance with the data reported by other studies [10]. The sample anthropometric characteristics were found matching within the age- and gender-specific standards (see Table 1), although the heart rate test data were found in excess (by 31.7%) of the standard, whilst the carpal strength tests rates varied within the low age- and gender-specific range.

Table 1. Physical development and functionality test rates of the special health group student sample

Furthermore, we used a set of physical fitness tests to rate the physical qualities and physical working capacity: see Table 2. The physical working capacity was rated by the aerobic endurance rating Ruffier test and found the actual physical working capacity 5 and 4 times lower than the age- and gender-specific standard for the girls and boys special health groups, respectively, i.e. falling within the low range. The coordination qualities rating simple motor response tests found the coordination qualities of the sample far below the age- and gender-specific standards.

Table 2. Physical fitness test data of the special health group sample

Note: Speed-strength endurance of the shoulder girdle was rated by the prone push-ups test (plank and kneeled versions for the boys and girls, respectively)

The girls and boys groups were tested under the age- and gender-specific standards in the flexibility test (36.1% and 57.7% lower, respectively), speed-strength endurance of the upper abs (44.6% and 56.6%, respectively) and lower abs (19.3% and 29.4%, respectively), and strength endurance of the shoulder girdle (31.2% lower in the boys group).

We grouped the sample on the diagnosis- and gender-specific basis into the special health groups to test the new physical training and health model complementary to the academic elective Physical Education curricula (see Table 3) versus the traditionally trained control special health group [2, 3].

Table 3. Diagnosis- and gender-specific physical training and health model for special health groups

Results and discussion. The new special health group physical training and health model tests for the academic year showed significant (p≤0.05) progress in the tested physical qualities and physical working capacity; with the particularly high progress achieved by the special health group girls in the following tests: musculoskeletal system – in physical working capacity (50.0% growth), coordination (27.5% growth); vision - flexibility (30.4%) and lower abs strength (28.5%) tests; and cardiovascular system - in the lower abs strength (35.7%) and physical working capacity (30.9%) tests. And the special health group boys were tested with the following progress: musculoskeletal system – in the flexibility and coordination (54.5% and 28.4% growth, respectively) tests; vision - in the lower abs strength and coordination (47.0% and 44.2%, respectively) tests; and the cardiovascular system - in the lower abs strength and flexibility (35.3% and 32.7%) tests. The control group of students trained by the traditional method achieved the highest progress in coordination tests (with 27.5% and 21.4% growth in the girls and boys groups, respectively).

Conclusion. Based on the entrance medical examination reports, most of the unhealthy sample was qualified with the musculoskeletal disorders. The 17-18 year old sample was generally tested within the age- and gender-specific standards albeit low physical fitness and functionality test rates. The special health group sample was trained as required by the new physical training and health model of our design customizable to the actual somatic health issues – and the post-experimental tests found the model being beneficial as verified by the significant progress of the girls and boys special health groups in the physicality and functionality tests – versus the traditionally trained control special health group that demonstrated poorer progress in the tests.

References

1. Antonov I., Atanasova L., Khristova-Avakumova N., Khadzhimitova V. Problems and challenges of medical and physical education of students in health inspector course. AIP Conference Proceedings. 2019.
2. Vengerova N.N., Lyuik L.V., Piskun O.E. University implementation of «3+» FSES for physical education. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2016, no. 6, pp. 12–15.
3. Vengerova N.N., Kudashova L.T. Kinesiological construct of elective physical education course in higher education. European Social Science Journal (Evropeyskiy zhurnal sotsialnykh nauk), 2016. No. 4. pp. 232-237.
4. Zagrevskaya A.I. Design of content of physical education for special health group students of pedagogical university. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2008. No. 10. pp. 21-25.
5. Stepanova O.N., Vengerova N.N., Borodulina O.V. et al. Technology of pedagogical design of health and fitness classes with female special health group students. Fizicheskaya kultura, sport – nauka i praktika. 2014. No. 3. pp. 16-20.
6. Cherepov E., Epishev V., Terekhina E. (2018). Effects of modern fitness technologies on physical qualities in students with locomotor disorders. Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica, 69(3), 43-48. doi:10.23736/S0394-3410.18.03879-1;
7. Kondakov V.L., Voloshina L.N., Balysheva N.V., Kopeikina E.N., Skrug D. A. (2015). Correction of the state of cardiovascular system of undergraduates by means of dosed constitutional walking and jogging. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences, 6(5), 1567-1571;
8. Maksimova T.A., Kuchin R.V., Nenenko N.D., Chernitsyna N.V., Stogov M. V. (2018). Assessment of the efficiency of aerobics for physical education lessons in a special medical group. Human Sport Medicine, 18(S), 147-153;
9. Poperekov V.S., Buldakova N.V., Bandakov M.P., Suetina K.M., Ovsyannikova E.Y. (2018). Application of static and dynamic experimental exercises during PE lessons with students from special medical groups. Human Sport Medicine, 18(3), 120-134;
10. Rumba O.G. (2015). System of pedagogical regulation of motor activity of students of special medical groups. Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoy Kultury, (2), 11-14;
11. Zheleznyakov A.G. (2013). The peculiarities of using breathing exercises at physical education classes for students of special medical group. Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoy Kultury, (9), 19-21.

Corresponding author: piskun@imop.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to design, based on the students’ physicality and functionality tests, and test benefits of a new special health group-specific physical training and health model.

Methods and structure of the study. We sampled the 17-18 year old students of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University’s Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport ((n=148) and Institute of Computer Science and Technology (n=64), and used the standard medical examination reports to qualify them for the special health groups for academic Physical Education service. The physical development of the sample was rated by the traditional anthropometrics method, functionality tests and physical fitness tests versus the age- and gender-specific standards. The group physical training and health service was customized to the nosological groups (diagnoses).

Results and conclusion. Based on the entrance medical examination reports, most of the unhealthy sample was attributed to special health groups. The 17-18 year old sample was generally tested within the age- and gender-specific standards albeit low physical fitness and functionality test rates. The special health group sample was trained as required by the new physical training and health model of our design customizable to the actual somatic health issues – and the post-experimental tests found the model being beneficial as verified by the significant progress of the girls and boys special health groups in the physicality and functionality tests – versus the traditionally trained control special health groups that demonstrated poorer progresses in the tests.