Melnik Victor Alexandrovich

Introduction. In recent years, insufficient attention has been paid to the study of the dynamics of the growth and development of children of early and preschool age, their variability over time and depending on various factors of the external and internal environment. The literature data are contradictory and indicate two multidirectional processes – acceleration and deceleration.

Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of basic anthropometric indicators of physical development (length and body weight) in children of early and preschool age in Belarus, obtained in 2021 (group I) and in 1989–1997 (group II), was carried out. These populations were homogeneous in place of residence, ethnicity, and close in time of inspection. The number of boys and girls in the first group was 700 people, in the second group – 3351 and 3175 people, respectively.

Results. Monitoring of anthropometric indicators of children of early and preschool age allowed to establish the features of physical development. Boys of group I from birth to 6 years of age are significantly more likely to have higher body weight indicators compared to group II. In girls, this trend was not registered only at the age of 3 years (P>0.05). In all age periods, both sexes of the group I significantly more often have higher body length indicators compared to the group II. The most pronounced difference in body length (over 4 cm) in children of the group I and group II was noted in boys and girls in the age groups of 2 and 5 years. The analysis shows an increase in somatometric indicators of physical development and the phenomenon of acceleration.

Conclusion. The conducted studies have established the presence of higher values of body length and weight in children in 2021 compared to their peers in 1989–1997. Higher levels of all the studied indicators were noted in boys than in girls. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

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.

© 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license