Professor, Dr.Hab., PhD A.G. Shchurov¹
Professor, Dr.Hab. S.V. Alekseev¹
Associate Professor, PhD E.V. Popova¹
 O.V. Starolavnikova^1
1 St. Petersburg Academy of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, St. Petersburg

Keywords: physical fitness, tests, physical qualities, endurance, health groups.

Background. As reported by the Federal Government Autonomous Establishment (FGAE) “Children’s Health Research Centre” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the number of the healthy first-formers and senior (grades 9-11) pupils has fallen 9 and 17.4 times for the last 50 years, respectively. The adolescents’ physical working capacity and physical fitness rates at present are reported to be significantly (20-25%) lower than those of their peers born in 1980-90ies; as a result, about half of the boys and up to 75% of the girls graduating from schools fail to pass the standard physical fitness tests [5].

Presently the national government gives top priority to the young generation’s health being duly promoted and improved with the leading role assigned to physical education designed to cultivate in a child a conscientious and informed attitude to his/her own body and health.

Physical education of school children may give an effective boost to positive functional and morphological changes in the growing body and trigger progress of good psycho-physiological abilities. Children actively involved in physical education practices are known to show better progress at a general education school than their non-sporting peers.

Progress in school physical education is reported to vary across different areas of the country [1] for the reason that physical development levels of children and adolescents normally differ depending on the living standards, local traditions and socio-economic specifics of the regions. Local environmental conditions for urban residents, for instance, are known to be a leading negative factor of influence on the health standards, whilst rural residents are more exposed to negative factors of the generally lower socio-economic living standards. It should be noted, however, that some studies [4] report rural pupils showing better working capacity rates and higher adaptation potential of the cardiovascular system.

Objective of the study was to explore the schoolchildren’s physical fitness in megalopolis.

Methods and structure of the study. To obtain study data on the schoolchildren’s physical fitness in megalopolis, we tested pupils of 56 general education schools of St. Petersburg city in May 2014 versus May 2015. The tests were performed in regular education process during the test lessons of the 4^th, 9^th and 11^th-graders, as follows: 30 m sprint run; 6 minute race; standing long jump; hang pull-ups for the boys and in lying pull-ups for the girls; 3х10 m shuttle run; and sitting flexibility test. Annual samples included two same classes in the parallel educational establishments under the study.

Study results and discussion. Numbers of the schoolchildren attributed to the special health group at physical education lessons varied around the same level (3-5 %) in both years under the study. Selected for the tests were the schoolchildren qualified for the main and preparatory health groups [3]. Based on the test results, the schoolchildren of the parallel classes were rated – as recommended by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation – with the relevant physical fitness levels (low, average and high) [2]. Given hereunder in Table 2 are the test results of the 4^th, 9^th and 11^th-graders that may be interpreted as generally indicative of the physical fitness rates in different age (class) groups staying at about the same level for the two years.

Table 2. Physical fitness test data of the 4^th, 9^th and 11^th year students in the years of 2015 (2014), %

Note: given in brackets are the 2014 test data

The inter-class test data comparisons make it possible to rate variations of specific physical qualities with due consideration for the sensitive periods, versus the growth rates etc.

The 30 m sprint test gives the means to rate speed qualities of the children. In the first test year, rated with the average and high fitness rates were 79% of the 4^th-graders, 75% of the 9^th-graders and 75% of the 11^th-graders; as compared to the year of 2015 when 80%, 82% and 82% of the parallel classes were rated with these fitness levels. It should be noted that the 9^th and 11^th-graders showed virtually the same fitness rates.

It is a matter of common recognition that general endurance is the most informative criterion of physical fitness. This quality was rated in our study by the 6-minute test run. The study found the following aggregate average- and high-level endurance rated percentages of the parallel class pupils in the years of 2015 (2014): 80% (84%) of the 4^th-graders, 77% (79%), of the 9^th-graders, and 78% (66%) of the 11^th-graders. The lower endurance test rates of the senior pupils versus the primary ones may be due to the higher education workloads and probably behavioural deviations associated with higher health risks (from alcohol, smoking, violations of the day regimen and unhealthy nutrition) [6]. At the same time, Table 1 shows the pupils in all the parallel classes being evenly distributed by the endurance test rates quality that may be indicative of the valid standards being adequate.

The speed-strength qualities were tested by the standing long jumps test. The test data were interpreted as indicative of the subject quality being evenly developed across all the age groups under the study.

Strength was rated by the pull-up test. The 4^th-graders had biggest problems passing this test as verified by the percentage of the children rated low on the fitness scale in both years (39% in 2015 and 51% in 2014). The proportion of the low-rated 9^th-graders was somewhat lower although not that much. In this parallel, the distribution of pupils across the fitness levels was almost identical. The 11^th-graders showed notably higher test results in the pull-up test. Rated average and high by the years were 28% and 22%; 40% and 52%; and 32% and 26%, respectively.

The 3х10 m race test was designed to rate the coordination abilities. It is the period of 8 to 12 years of age that is considered the most sensitive time for the coordination qualities being developed. The attained movement coordination level normally stays the same for quite a long time. The 2014 tests showed the quality sagging trend with age: 84% of the 4^th-graders; 80% of the 9^th-graders; and 78% of the 11^th-graders; however, the 2015 tests showed quite an even distribution of 84%, 84% and 85%, respectively.

The spine flexibility test was designed based on a standard procedure. The test data were interpreted as indicative of the flexibility being quite evenly developed across the age groups under the study.

Conclusion. The study data analysis rated the physical fitness of the 4^th, 9^th and 11^th-graders of the general education schools of such a great megalopolis as St. Petersburg city at the average and above-average levels on the whole.

The lower endurance test rates of the senior pupils versus the primary ones may be due to the higher education workloads and, probably behavioural deviations associated with higher health risks (from alcohol, smoking, violations of the day regimen and unhealthy nutrition).

The pupils' test data may be used for adjustments to the school physical education curriculum and training process for the GTO Complex tests, with an emphasis on the average test rates of the schoolchildren and with due consideration for the age-specific physiology of the pupils and the growing numbers of those qualified with the preparatory health group.

References

1. Gritsinskaya V.L., Beketova E.V., Kornienko T.V. Sravnitelnaya kharakteristika fizicheskogo razvitiya gorodskikh i selskikh shkolnikov Krasnoyarskogo kraya [Comparative characteristics of physical development of urban and rural pupils of the Krasnoyarsk Territory]. Gigiena i sanitariya, 2012, no. 4, pp. 58-60.
2. Lyakh V.I. Programmy obshcheobrazovatel'nykh uchrezhdeniy. Kompleksnaya programma fizicheskogo vospitaniya uchashchikhsya 1-11 klassov [Curricula of educational institutions. Comprehensive Physical Education curriculum for 1-11 graders]. Moscow: Prosveshchenie publ., 2004, 128 p.
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4. Konkabaeva A.E., Tykezhanova G.M., Baranova T.I., Bodeeva R.T., Rasol M. Sravnitelnaya kharakteristika fizicheskogo razvitiya i adaptatsionnykh rezervov organizma u studentov, prozhivayushchikh v gorodskoy i selskoy mestnosti [Comparative characteristics of physical development and adaptive capabilities of urban and rural school children]. Vestnik KarSU publ., Karaganda, 2014, pp. 84-89.
5. Suvorova A.V., Yakubova N.Sh., Ivanova N.P. Gigiena uchebnogo protsessa i sostoyanie zdorovya shkolnikov pri blochno-modulnom obuchenii [Healthy educational process and state of health of school children in context of block-modular training]. St. Petersburg: Mechnikov NWSMU publ., 2014, 160 p.
6. Shchurov, A.G., Churganov O.A., Gavrilova E.A. Dinamika pokazateley fizicheskoy aktivnosti shkolnikov v svobodnoe ot uchebnykh zanyatiy vremya [Dynamics of off-class physical activity rates of school children]. Uchenye zapiski universiteta imeni P.F. Lesgafta, 2015, no. 12 (30), pp. 296-301.

Corresponding author: shchag@mail.ru

Abstract

To obtain study data on the schoolchildren’s physical fitness in megalopolis, we tested pupils of 56 general education schools of St. Petersburg city in May 2014 versus May 2015. The data analysis rated the physical fitness of the 4^th, 9^th and 11^th-graders of the general education schools on the whole at the average and above average levels. The lower test rates of the senior pupils versus the primary ones may be due to the higher education workloads and probably behavioural deviations associated with higher health risks (from alcohol, smoking, violations of the day regiment and unhealthy nutrition). The pupils' test data may be used for adjustments to the school physical education curriculum and training process for the Russian Physical Culture and Sports “Ready for Labour and Defence” (GTO) Complex tests.