Evaluation of the effectiveness of children's health improvement in camps: actual problems and its solutions

Abstract

Analysis and scientific and methodological substantiation of modern criteria for assessing the effectiveness of children's health improvement in recreation organizations (camps). An analysis of the literature data, our own research results' systematization and effectiveness assessment of the health improvement of 195 children aged 10 to 15 years (112 girls and 83 boys) belonging to I and II health groups and vacationers in the inpatient organization of the Samara region in the 2019 summer campaign were carried out. Anthropometric, physio-metric, and bio-impedance metrics were studied in two stages (on the 1st or 2nd day of arrival and 1 day before the camp leaving). In a comparative analysis the differences were considered significant when p<0.05. Stationary rest and recreation organizations in the all-Russian structure of recreation organizations for children account for 5.8%. During staying in the camp, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of girls with underweight (p=0.039); among boys no significant changes were found. The general trend towards a change in the level of physical development is not statistically significant. Bio-impedance analysis revealed only 51.3% of children with changes in indicators characterizing the health-improving effect. The tendencies to change in the proportion of children with different levels of arm muscle strength and lung capacity during the staying in then camp are statistically significant. Correlations were established between muscle strength with basal metabolism (r=0.86) and muscle mass (r=0.86), as well as negative links between average strength and the percentage of adipose tissue (r= -0.52). During the staying in the camp, the 4 cases of acute respiratory infections were registered that did not affect the assessment of the recovery effectiveness. In order to assess the health-improving effect among children during one trial in the camp, the leading functional signs are muscle strength of the arms and vital capacity of the lungs. Additional criteria can be the morbidity during the staying in the camp, and in terms of the nutritional status analysis - the results of bio-impedance analysis. To assess the physical development at the beginning of the camp trial, the use of regional regression scales is informative that requires a corresponding explanation in the documents. In turn, the data from the baseline measurements should be used to build individual health measures during the staying in the camp.