No. 8, pp. 18–18

Received: 23.06.2026 | Published: 28.07.2026

CC BY 4.0

Keywords: anthropometric characteristics, body types, first childhood period.

Introduction. The anthropometric approach in childhood is particularly relevant as it allows for the assessment of individual characteristics of the body. Determining the somatotype of children is the most accessible system for research; it is genetically determined, stable in ontogenesis, and reflects its dynamics, making it a significant parameter for sports orientation [1, 2].

The aim of the study is to examine the ethno-territorial features of the somatotypological and physiological characteristics of children in the first childhood period and their significance for sports selection.

Methodology and organization of the study. We studied the somatotypological and physiological (proper heart rate (PHR) and actual heart rate (AHR), blood pressure) parameters in children of the first childhood period belonging to Slavic, Armenian, and North Caucasian ethnic groups. The calculation of the subjects' stress level was performed using the formula by Yu.R. Sheikh-Zade (Invention Patent No. 2147831).

Results and discussion. The conducted statistical analysis established the presence of gender differences within ethnic groups. In the group of Armenian children, the AHR is higher in girls (100.14±2.90 vs. 92.11±2.15 min-1). In the Slavic group, boys predominate in: body length (122.45±0.91 vs. 115.36±0.74 cm), body weight (23.52±0.43 vs. 20.71±0.26 kg), and wrist circumference (13.51±0.19 vs. 12.95±0.16 cm). It was established that the PHR indicator was higher in girls of the Slavic group compared to the Armenian group (89.66±0.82 vs. 81.60±2.16 min-1); the body mass index was higher in boys of the Slavic group compared to the Armenian group (19.48±0.41 vs. 15.63±0.19 kg/m2). In children belonging to the Slavic group, the stress resistance index corresponded to a normal stress level at rest, whereas in children belonging to the North Caucasian ethnic group, the stress resistance index was significantly below the threshold values: in boys (1.48±0.13 vs. 1.98±0.10 a.u.), in girls (1.78±0.20 vs. 2.35±0.12 a.u.).

Conclusion. The somatotypological characteristics of children in the first childhood period are significant parameters, and the ethno-territorial dependence of the somatotypological and physiological characteristics of children requires an individual approach for sports orientation.

1. Nikolenko V.N., Nikityuk D.B., Klochkova S.I. Somaticheskaya konstitutsiya i klinicheskaya meditsina [Somatic constitution and clinical medicine]. Moscow: Prakticheskaya meditsina. 2017. 256 p.
2. Sheikh-Zade Yu.R., Baybakov S.E., Bakhareva N.S., Chuprunova N.S. Klyuchevye voprosy teorii teloslozheniya cheloveka [Key issues of the theory of human physique]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya Antropologiya. 2014. No. 4. Pp. 31-41.