DYNAMICS OF ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICATORS OF THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FROM 1925 TO 2022 IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

Abstract

Introduction. Secular changes in the somatometric parameters of children and adolescents of both sexes are observed in most countries of the world. The data in the literary sources are contradictory and indicate two opposite directions of the processes of changes in time the parameters of physical development - acceleration and deceleration, which points out to the need for their constant monitoring. Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of the main somatometric indicators of physical development (length and body weight) was carried out in children and adolescents of both sexes in the city of Gomel aged 8 to 16 years, obtained in 1925 (first group), 1973 (second group), 2010-2012 (third group), 2021-2022 (fourth group). These populations were homogeneous in place of residence, ethnicity, close in time of inspection and representative in number. The number of boys and girls in each age group was 100 or more people. Results. It was found that children and adolescents of both sexes of the Republic of Belarus examined in 2010-2012 and 2021-2022 had higher values of somatometric indicators (body length and weight) compared to their peers examined in 1925 and 1973 (p<0,05-0,001). At the same time, there were practically no statistically significant differences between the anthropometric indicators of schoolchildren of two gender groups surveyed in 2010-2012 and in 2021-2022. Conclusion. A comparative analysis of the anthropometric indicators of children and adolescents of both sexes aged 8-16 years from 1925 to 2022 indicates that the process of acceleration among urban schoolchildren in Belarus observed in the period from 1925 to 2012 stopped, which is indicated by the absence of statistically significant differences between the anthropometric indicators of schoolchildren surveyed in 2010-2012 and in 2021-2022.