Functional State and Physical Fitness of Schoolchildren in Norm and Pathology and Their Dynamics in Rehabilitation Center Conditions

The dissertation is devoted to the investigation of the functional state and physical fitness of schoolchildren in norm and pathology, as well as the dynamics of these indicators under rehabilitation center conditions. Screening assessment systems are developed and tested in the work, including the determination of "motor age," strength qualities, and mental work capacity, with the aim of objective control of the reactivity and adaptation of the organism of children and adolescents.

The research takes into account the influence of age, sex, physical activity, and place of permanent residence (urban, rural, and ecologically unfavorable areas of the Southern Urals) on the physical work capacity and functional state of children aged 9–16 years. Special attention is given to evaluating the effectiveness of health-improving work in the rehabilitation center through dynamic testing using the developed methodologies.

Relevance of the Problem. The relevance of research in the field of control of functional state and physical fitness among people of different ages and social groups is determined by the deterioration of health indicators of the modern population of the country (1, 13, 18, 19, 31, 33, 34, 57, 75, 82, 83, 98, 144). Special attention deserves this circumstance in childhood and adolescence. During this period, the most rapid changes in the size and shape of the body occur, and a certain asynchrony in the development of individual systems and organs exists, along with a disproportion of their morphogenesis and function (47, 49). Specific features are observed in various age periods of youth, maturity, old age, and senescence (20, 21, 36, 47, 49, 98). Even in individual development of a child, many scientists describe the existence of an inverse dependence between their growth and functional development of organs and systems, which found its reflection in the formation of the concept of heterochrony of various aspects of organism development. This is regarded as a set of morphofunctional transformations that ensure the adaptation of the organism to changing conditions of the external environment and functional load on the individual (53, 72, 93, 104, 105).

Optimal organization of the monitoring system of the most important systems of the child's organism allows for the assessment and timely diagnosis of asynchrony in the development of the structure and functions of organs and systems, to determine borderline states between norm and pathology, and serves as an indicator for evaluating the reactivity of the organism and its adaptation in the process of rehabilitation (2, 11, 16, 17, 24, 32, 45, 50, 59, 86, 99, 100, 120, 135, 136, 138). This direction has been and continues to be given enormous importance in developed state national programs: "Health of Man in Siberia," "Development of Age Physiology and School Hygiene," "Improvement of the Educational Process in Physical Education in Higher Educational Institutions," and other programs. Human ontogeny is characterized by specific stage-like changes in the morphofunctional transformation of the organism. These are especially pronounced in the child and adolescent periods. In recent years, a series of specialized studies have been conducted, the results of which have made it possible not only to calculate individual norms of the proper order but also to formulate general provisions for the construction of proper norms for young athletes (60, 63, 88, 103, 117, 139). Based on longitudinal examination of large groups of schoolchildren from grades 1 to 10, Anan'eva N.A. and Yampol'skaya Yu.A. (1993) obtained materials that expanded the possibilities for assessing the physical development and health of schoolchildren during mass examinations. They also developed special programs that allow sufficiently simple determination of the adaptive potential of schoolchildren, as well as profiles of anthropometric norms: Questions of testing the functional state and physical fitness of children are very important: for determining the optimal mode of training, recreational, and therapeutic influences capable of affecting individual ontogenetic development of the child and his or her further indicators and results. The study of age-related changes in the work capacity of children and adolescents in specific conditions and features of the Ural region also has important practical significance. These conditions must be taken into account and appropriate corrections must be introduced into the preventive and health-improving work with children. The obtained data and research results in this regard have important theoretical and practical significance, not only at the local level but also for other territories of Russia.

At the same time, to date, there has been no generally accepted system of test control of functional state and physical fitness of children and adolescents and a methodology that would be acceptable for the conditions of a rehabilitation center. Screening methods are needed that are capable of reflecting the dynamic changes in work capacity over the period of stay in a rehabilitation center (RC), and thereby characterizing the effectiveness of health-improving work.

Goal of the Work and Main Tasks of the Research. The main goal of this research is to develop and scientifically substantiate the level of functional state and physical fitness of children and adolescents during the period of convalescence, taking into account age, sex, physical activity, place of permanent residence, and the dynamics of these criteria over the period of stay in RC conditions.

In accordance with the set goal, a number of tasks were addressed:

1. To study the initial level of functional state and physical fitness as an indicator of reactivity in dynamics over the period of children's stay in the RC.

2. To develop additional screening methods for the assessment of strength qualities, motor age, and mental work capacity with corresponding criteria that could be integrated into the general system of assessment of FFP (Functional State and Physical Fitness), for more successful test control in RC conditions.

3. To study the state of work capacity in connection with various factors: age, sex, time of year, physical activity among urban, rural, and children from ecologically unfavorable areas of the Southern Urals.

Scientific Novelty.

1. For the first time, a system of screening assessment of "motor age" through the FFP system with corresponding evaluation criteria has been developed and tested on a large contingent, allowing the determination of norm, transitional states, and pathology both by individual criteria and by integral assessment.

2. A new screening method for the assessment of physical and functional fitness based on 4 tests (FFP4) has been developed for frequent control testing.

3. For the first time, a new approach and system for the evaluation of strength qualities in children and adolescents with corresponding rating criteria has been developed.

4. A new system for the assessment of attention and mental work capacity suitable for mass testing as initial indicators as well as in dynamics, with corresponding norms, has been developed.

5. For the first time, on a large contingent, the study of age-related changes in functional state and physical fitness and their connection with the time of year among urban, rural, and children from ecologically unfavorable areas of the Southern Ural region, as well as the possibility of their correction, has been conducted.

Theoretical Significance of the Work consists in the substantiation of age-related changes in functional state and physical fitness and work capacity of children aged 9–16 years, taking into account sex, physical activity of urban and rural residents, and conditions of ecologically unfavorable areas of the Ural region. The possibility of substantially changing one's functional and physical potential even over a short period of time (period of stay in the RC), which is most closely linked to the strengthening of health status and the improvement of work capacity.

This characteristic is typical for children with different initial levels of health, functional state, and work capacity, as well as their initial data and dynamic changes in groups from various regions (urban, rural, ecologically unfavorable areas).

For the first time, borderline states between norm and pathology in children and adolescents have been described by rapid assessment: "motor age," strength abilities, and mental work capacity. Of fundamental interest are the materials regarding the corrective value of the regimen, physical loads, therapeutic and preventive measures, and sports activities on the functional and physical state of the organism.

Practical Significance of the Work.

The developed systems for the assessment of strength qualities, motor age, and the express FFP4 system allow for the objective assessment of reactivity and adaptation through the evaluation of physical and functional fitness of children; to carry out age monitoring and diagnosis of readiness criteria under the conditions not only of RC but also of medical-pedagogical and sports practice in dispensaries, sports schools, and higher educational institutions at departments of physical education.

The system will contribute to objective test control during selection to sports sections, in the educational process during distribution into corresponding readiness groups, and will promote the substantiated planning of training, therapeutic, and recreational influences on the organism of children and adolescents.

Based on the results of dynamic testing, the work of physical education teachers in groups, coaches, methodologists, and the medical-pedagogical collective as a whole, or the RC or institution where this system is used, can be evaluated. Even a single assessment of FFP or its individual criteria can be used to conduct competitions in a group or school, which particularly motivates children and adolescents.

Main Propositions for Defense.

1. The informativeness and effectiveness of the use of the FFP system with evaluation criteria for reactivity and adaptation to ensure the control of functional state and work capacity of children and adolescents, to determine the effectiveness of health-improving work under RC conditions, through dynamic testing.

2. Developed screening tests for the assessment of strength capabilities, motor age (FFPm), and mental work capacity with criteria for norm, pathology, and borderline states.

3. Peculiarities of age-related changes in physical work capacity, functional state, physical fitness, and motor age in children and adolescents aged 9–16 years, taking into account sex, physical activity among rural and urban residents, as well as residents of ecologically unfavorable areas under the conditions of the Ural region.