SOMATOMETRY IS AN IMPORTANT METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO ASSESSING THE PHYSICAL HEALTH OF ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

The article presents findings from a study conducted with the aim of identifying more objective indicators for the assessment of physical health in adolescents. To this end, somatometric and physiometric parameters, as well as indices of the organism's adaptive reserves, were measured using contemporary examination methods in cadets aged 15-16 years enrolled in the first and second years of a military lyceum at the end of the academic year (290 and 200 individuals, respectively). Physical health status was evaluated through comparison with the corresponding normative standards. A comparative analysis was performed of the mean values of initial baseline levels across all indicators used to characterize the physical health of children and adolescents, covering all gradations of sigma deviation, as well as the values of coefficients calculated using the mean values of the examined parameters. It was established that the aggregate indicators of all "positive" (average, above average, high) and "negative" (below average, low) gradations of sigma deviation of the mean values of somatometric parameters provide a sufficiently objective characterization of the level of physical health in children and adolescents.