The research of physical condition, physical activity and nutrition of teacher education students

Abstract

The goal of the research is to identify and assess parameters of physical development, actual nutrition, energy expenditure and energy requirement of the young adult males. The research was conducted in 2008–2010 and students (n=84) of biology, physical education and psychology specialties at Vilnius Pedagogical University participated in it. Height and weight measurements were taken by electronic medical scales with the height measuring equipment. We analysed an average energy value of a daily food ration; the intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat; physical activity and energy requirement by using 7-day nutrition and physical activity diaries filled out by the students participating in the research (20.35±0.99 years old). The body weight of the majority of the young adult males was normal (69.05 per cent), 26.19 per cent of them had the body weight above the normal range, and the body weight of 4.76 per cent of the students was insufficient. Physical activity ratio of the future teachers is 1.79±0.382. An average energy value of nutrition ration corresponds to energy expenditure (p=0.684) but is lower than energy requirement (p<0.001). The ratio of the main nutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) in the nutrition of the young adult males is unbalanced; 27.38 per cent of them consume too much protein, and 1.19 per cent exceeds the recommended daily intake of protein more than twice. According to our data, only 7.14 per cent of the students get enough fat, 36.91 per cent of them consume too much fat, and 55.95 percent of the respondents get too little fat although close to the norm. Our research demonstrated that there is a deficiency of carbohydrate in a daily ration food of 95.24 per cent of the young adult males, and the carbohydrate content in the nutrition of 34.52 per cent of the young men is more than twice lower than the norm. In comparison with the individual norms of these nutrients (considering the respondent’s body weight, age, and physical activity), protein intake of the young adult males is too high (p<0.001), the received fat content corresponds to the recommended intake (p=0.663), and there is carbohydrate deficiency in a daily food ration (p<0.001).