Bioimpedance–based body composition rating tests for academic health physical education service design

ˑ: 

N.N. Vengerova1
O.E. Piskun1
E.N. Komissarov2
Y.A. Klyus2
1Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg
2St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, St. Petersburg

Keywords: educational process design, body build/ somatic type, physical training intensity, tests, bioimpedance-based rating tests, body composition, ovulation/ menstrual cycle, 17-18 year-old females.

Introduction. The adolescent period does not last long and is characterized by the end of the growth processes and achievement of the basic body dimensional indices of definitive character [3]. Changes in the quality of life and learning environment of female students affect their physical development and health level. In adolescence, the development of the majority of anthropometric characteristics and somatic type (body build) comes to an end [5].

Body composition changes considerably in the course of the human ontogenetic development. At the same time, the body of different people of the same chronological age can be in substantially different states from the point of view of viability [8].

The process of design of health and fitness classes is an action algorithm — a list of operations to be implemented in a strict logical sequence consisting of 6 stages [10]. The diagnostic stage of the educational process design involves a comprehensive examination of the potential contingent of trainees – assessment of their physical health and development, body build (somatic type), motor activity, functional and physical fitness.

Objective of the study was to design the comprehensive health-improving motor program for 17-18 year-old females in view of their body composition indices and ovulation/ menstrual cycles/ phases.

Methods and structure of the study. In modern human morphology, more and more attention is being paid to the body component composition [4, 7]. Among the methods to study the bodily metabolic activity based on the body composition is bioimpedansometry [6]. This method is based on measuring the electrical resistance of tissues - impedance (Z) of the entire body or its particular parts. It is used to evaluate a number of significant indicators: fat (FM), fat-free (FFM) and active cell mass (ACM) in the body, as well body mass index (BMI) and basal metabolic rate (BMR). Using the bioimpedance-based rating tests we measured the volumes of the cellular (CFV) and extracellular (ECFV) fluids, as well total body water (TBW). The benefits of bioimpedansometry are as follows: adequate accuracy and high reproducibility of measurement results, portability and low cost of equipment, comfort experimental conditions and ease of automated data processing.

Dosing physical loads both by volume and intensity when selecting exercises, we were guided by the average statistical standard of the OMC length (28 days) and theoretical data [11] on the changes occurring in the female body, indicators of their physical working capacity.

The physical working capacity level at the 28-day OMC decreases in its menstrual phase (from the 1st to the 4th day). In the post-menstrual phase of the OMC (from the 5th to the 10th day), physical working capacity increases considerably. In the ovulatory phase (from the 11th to the 16th day), it decreases once again. Physical working capacity slightly increases in the post-ovulatory phase (from the 17th to the 26th day), and decreases reaching the lowest level in the premenstrual phase (from the 27th to the 28th day),.

 In the ovulatory most important phase in the menstrual cycle [12], the volume and intensity of physical loads are reduced to 60% of HRmax. That volume of physical loads will not cause any significant changes in the females’ bodily functional systems, and the duration of this phase is rather small (3 days) to reduce the level of their physical fitness.

The following periodization of load distribution was established [9]:

– menstrual phase (1st – 6th days) – 60% of HRmax,

– post-menstrual phase (7th – 12th days) – 80% of HRmax,

– ovulatory phase (13th – 15th  days) – 70% of HRmax,

– post-ovulatory phase (16th – 24th days) – 80% of HRmax,

– premenstrual phase (25th – 28th days) – 70% of HRmax.

When developing the motor programs for the females [1], we used the knowledge about the physiological features of the female body, with due regard to their ovulation/ menstrual cycles/ phases and inherent changes in the hormonal levels, since the synthesis of particular hormones occurring and prevailing in a specific phase affects not only their reproductive functions and emotional state, but also their ability to perform various types of physical activity requiring certain qualities to be displayed (strength endurance, flexibility, etc.).

Results and discussion. When grouping the examined contingent of the 17-18 year-old female students of Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University (n=595) according to the external dimensions of the body (nano-megalosomatic constitution), the following main body builds were singled out: macro-somatic (МаS), meso-somatic (МеS), and micro-somatic (МiS) types, as well as those referred to the transition period – micromeso-somatic (MiMeS) and mesomacro-somatic (MeMaS) types. The analysis of the data obtained revealed a different frequency ratio of somatic types among the 17-18 year-old female students (Table 1).

Table 1. Body composition of 17-18 year-old females of various somatic types

Indicators

Micro-somatic type

(MiS, 56.9%)

Meso-somatic type

(MeS, 23.8%)

p

BMI (points)

20.0 ±  0.8

21.0 ± 1.9

≤ 0.05

ACM (kg)

23.3 ± 0.25

 

r=0.376

27.7 ± 1.9

 

r =0,379

 

 

≤ 0.001

OM (kcal)

1313.5 ± 120

1420.5 ± 100

CFV (l)

15.6 ± 0.17

18.9 ± 0.16

ECFV (l)

8.7 ± 0.19

9.5 ± 0.2

TBW (l)

24.2 ± 0.14

26.7 ±0.09

FM (kg)

10.8 ± 0.22

11.9 ± 0.3

 

Note:  OM – overall metabolism; TBW – total body water; FM – fat mass.

Active cell mass enters into the composition of lean body mass and is directly involved in the overall metabolism. The higher the percentage of active cell mass in the body, the more energy is consumed (including thermogenesis, basal metabolism and physical activity) and the faster one loses weight, since it is the ACM where most calories are burnt. There were statistically significant differences in the amount of ACM between the girls of the MaS type (31.4±0.35 kg), MeS type (27.7±0.24 kg) and MiS type (23.3±0.25 kg) (p≤0.001).

The female students of the MaS type were found to have the high metabolic rates (1504 kcal) as opposed to those of the MiS type (1313.5 kcal) (p≤0.001). Their basal metabolism was associated with the ACM: in the girls of the MaS type - r=0.557, MeS type - r=0.379, MiMeS type - r=0.351, and MiC type - r=0.376.

Modern directions in recreational physical culture involve a significant number of training means classified according to the direction of impact and development of a certain physical quality (Table 2).

Table 3. Structural-typological classification of kinesiological and recreational technologies as applied to 17-18 year-old females

Physical quality

Body conditioning (kinesiological and recreational) technologies

Endurance

Speed-strength

А-Box, Tae-Bo, Body Combat, Therarobics

Strength

Average and high intensity: Therarobics, ABT, THN, BUMS, TABS. Pilates (average and high intensity), Callanetics.

Aerobic (overall)

Average and high intensity:  Cross-Country, Classic Aerobics (Hi, Low), Step Aerobics, Rope Skipping, oriental dances (Belly Dance, Indian Dance), Zumba. Interval. Functional Training.

Flexibility

Stretching, Adaptive Yoga, Flex

Coordination abilities

Average and high intensity: Classic Aerobics (Hi, Low), Step Aerobics, Aerobic Dancing. Fitball

Each training session lasted 60 min. The selection of the particular kinesiological and recreational fitness technologies within the motor program [2] in a certain period of OMC was due to the specifics of their influence on the female body, as well as the level of energy costs for their implementation. Proceeding that the majority of girls belonged to the meso-somatic and micro-somatic body build types, and their overall metabolic rate at rest differed by 106±20 kcal, we proposed a motor program consisting of three types of physical activity, which content was determined based on the OMC period (Table 3) .

Table 3. Exemplary individual-type-specific motor program for 17-18 year-old females using kinesiological and recreational technologies customizable to ovulation/ menstrual cycles/ phases

Somatic type

 

OMC period

Meso-somatic

(MeS, 1420.5±100 kcal)

Micro-somatic

(MiS, 1314±120 kcal)

FigKinesiological and recreational technologies, time (min)

27th-4th day of OMC

Physical training intensity: 60% of HRmax – 120±10 bpm

 

5th-10th day of OMC

Physical training intensity: 80% of HRmax – 150±10 bpm

11th-26th day of OMC

Physical training intensity: 70% of HRmax – 135±5 bpm

The program is designed for 1 month of training, upon which it is advisable to change its content by implementing more complex technical and coordination exercises that require higher energy consumption, though still using the proposed kinesiological and recreational technologies.

Conclusion. The bioimpedance-based rating tests used to assess the 17-18 year-old females’ body composition for the health-centered physical education service design makes it possible to determine not only the body component composition, but also the overall metabolic rate at rest. Accessibility of information on the female trainees’ body composition test rates determines the most efficient design of motor programs with application of the kinesiological and recreational technologies customizable to the ovulation/ menstrual cycles/ phases. The model design and piloting stage showed potential benefits of the individual-type-specific health-centered physical education practices as verified by the 17-18 year-old females’ progress in the health and physical fitness test rates.

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Corresponding author: piskun@imop.ru

Abstract

The study analyzes the ways to design the academic health physical education service in application to the 17-18 year-old female students with application of bioimpedance-based body composition rating tests versus ovulation/ menstrual cycles. The health physical education service programs were designed with application of the modern active health building technologies with a special priority to the harmonized physical development and somatic health standards. The study data and analyses show the importance of the female trainees’ body composition tests for the health-centered physical education service being designed on the most efficient basis with application of the modern health building technologies customizable to the ovulation/ menstrual cycles/ phases. The model design and piloting stage showed potential benefits of the individual-type-specific health-centered physical education practices as verified by the 17-18 year-old females’ progress in the health and physical fitness test rates.