Physical condition of first-level higher education students studying pedagogical specialties

Abstract

A rapid decrease in the level of daily motor activity of student youth as a result of the transition to distance learning, which is characterised by a high amount of mental and psycho-emotional load, has led to an increase in morbidity and deterioration of the physical condition of students in general, which is an urgent problem. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of physical condition of first-level higher education graduates who are studying pedagogical specialties at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University. In the course of the experiment, a medical-biological research method was used, namely an anthropometric method for measuring body weight and length, body mass index, Erisman index, and chest circumference, to further determine the level of students’ physical condition. In order to process the received data, the methods of mathematical statistics were used. It has been established that the anthropometric indicators of first-level higher education graduates studying pedagogical specialties at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University are within age norms. Some students are overweight. Indicators of the frequency of heart contractions in a state of relative rest are within age norms. In blood pressure indicators, there was a predominance of cases of hypertension in representatives of both sexes. The indicators of the functional state of the students’ respiratory system, according to the Stange test, are within the physiological age norm. The level of physical condition of female students according to the method of O. Pirohova is defined as average; for boys, it is below average. The studies conducted proved that the majority of students have reduced indicators of their physical condition. The results obtained in practice can be taken into account by teachers during the organisation of physical education classes in distance learning conditions