Associate Professor, PhD V.R. Abramova¹
Associate Professor, PhD A.I. Danilova¹
Postgraduate E.V. Korkin^2
1National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health n.a. P.F. Lesgaft, St. Petersburg
²Churapcha State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, Churapcha, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Keywords: physical development, female students, physical culture and sport university, Far North.

Introduction. The issue of preservation and promotion of health of students has recently been in the focus of many studies [1, 3, 5, 6]. According to experts, an increase in somatic diseases, mental health deviations and reduced physical development indices are characteristic of students. Students’ lifestyle while studying and training at a physical culture and sport university is associated with an increased physical load. Exposure to harsh climatic conditions characterized by abrupt changes in weather parameters (temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, etc) has an equally important impact on the athletes’ bodies. These factors lead to neuro-emotional stress, maladjustment of the homeostatic systems of the body and health deterioration.       

Objective of the study was to explore the physical developmental specifics of the female students majoring in physical culture and sports in the Far North.

Methods and structure of the research. According to many scientists, the main characteristics of physical condition are physical development indicators [2, 3, 4]. The leading parameters providing information on the physical development are height and body mass as well as some estimate indicators comparing them.

The study was designed to obtain total body measurements and specific ratios of body mass to height, chest size, respiratory excursion etc. A variety of the relevant indices including Quetelet Body Mass index, Pignet physical development index, Erismann index, birth-death ratio and vital capacity index were applied in the study. Subject to the study were 50 first-year female students of Churapcha State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports (CSIPCS) of three consecutive academic years from 2013-2014 till 2015-2016.

Research results and discussion. Indices of physical development of female first-year students by academic year are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Physical development dynamics of female first-year students of CSIPC (М±m) (n=50)

Note: (significance between the groups at Р<0.1 -*; Р<0.05 -**)

Height is one of the main physical development indices. According to the findings of the study in terms of no significant differences were found in female students’ height, but it should be noted that first-year students become generally taller. 

Body weight depends directly on the height and indirectly reflects the development of the musculoskeletal system, subcutaneous tissue, and is one of the indicators of the environmental and social factors impact on the human body. Significantly high body weight indices were found between the first and second groups (р<0.05).

Vital capacity and birth-death ratio rates were proved to be low. According to many studies, people living in the North have low vital capacity rates [5, 6]. Nevertheless, the indices tend to increase in female students of consecutive academic years, the differences are significant (р<0.05). It is also associated with respiratory diseases that are number one in prevalence and reach 29.1% in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Low birth-death ratio rates may indicate insufficient vital capacity or overweight. Average strength rates of physique were recorded in two groups of females with regard to Pignet and Quetelet indices. Significantly low rates of the index were obtained in the first group of females, which indicates strong physique (р<0.05). Significantly high rates of the Erismann index characterizing chest proportions were recorded in the first group (р<0.05). 

Conclusion. The study gave the grounds to trace specific physical developmental trends in the first-year students’, particularly the significant falls in the body weight, chest size and respiratory excursion indices, Pignet and Erismann indices associated with the body height growth trend. The study found the external respiratory rates being fairly low due to the relevant protection and compensatory mechanisms being activated by the respiratory system to adapt to the extreme conditions of the Far North.

References

1. Aleksandrova L.I., Moskovchenko O.N. Optimizatsiya fizicheskih nagruzok studentok i sportsmenok, prozhivayushchikh v usloviyakh Sibiri, na osnove otsenki fizicheskogo sostoyaniya [Optimization of Physical Loads of Female Students and Athletes Living in Siberian Conditions Based on Assessment of Physical Condition]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2011, no. 7, pp. 21-25.
2. Borokhin M.I., Cherkashin A.V. Vliyanie zanyatiy mas-restlingom na pokazateli fizicheskogo razvitiya [Effect of mass-wrestling sessions on physical development rates]. Fizicheskaya kultura, 2015, no. 5, pp. 16-18.
3. Kaldarikov E.N. Monitoring fizicheskogo razvitiya i fizicheskoy podgotovlennosti uchashchikhsya shkolnogo vozrasta respubliki Kalmykiya [Monitoring of physical development and physical readiness of school age pupils of the Republic of Kalmykia]. Uch. zapiski un-ta im. P.F. Lesgafta, 2014, no. 11(117), pp. 62-66.
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5. Pavelyev I.G. Vozrastnaya dinamika parametrov fizicheskogo razvitiya detey i podrostkov – sirot 8-18 let [Age-related dynamics of physical development rates of children and adolescents - orphans aged 8-18 years]. Uch. zapiski un-ta im. P.F. Lesgafta, 2014, no. 9(115), pp. 105-110.
6. Kharitonova L.G., Tsepko O.A. Osobennosti fizicheskogo sostoyaniya organizma studentok, prozhivayushchikh v usloviyakh Kraynego Severa [Features of physical state of students living in the Far North]. Omsk: SSUPC publ., 2006, 128 p.

Abstract

Objective of the study was to explore the physical developmental specifics of the female students majoring in physical culture and sports in the Far North. The study was designed to obtain total body measurements and specific ratios of body mass to height, chest size, respiratory excursion etc. A variety of the relevant indices including the Quetelet Body Mass index, Pignet index, Erismann index, birth-death ratio and vital capacity index were applied in the study. Subject to the study were 50 first-year female students of Churapcha State Institute of Physical Culture (CSIPC) of three consecutive academic years from 2013-2014 till 2015-20165.

The study gave the grounds to trace specific physical developmental trends in the first-year students’, particularly the significant falls in the body weight, chest size and respiratory excursion indices, Pignet and Erismann indices associated with the body height growth trend. The study found the external respiratory rates being fairly low due to the relevant protection and compensatory mechanisms being activated by the respiratory system to adapt to the extreme conditions of the Far North.