Biological age assessment method teenage students

Abstract

To assess the biological age of adolescents, the special literature offers 9 methods for boys and 14 methods for girls. The aim of the article was to determine the more informative methods for boys and girls. Methods: anthropometry, somatometry, somatoscopy, tonometry, spirometry, dynamometry, Hench and Shtange tests, Ruffier and Robinson indices. The interaction of the results of different methods for the assessment of biological age was analysed using factor analysis (principal components method) for groups of subjects of the same gender and age. Boys aged 14-15 (n=102) and girls aged 12-13 (n=101) were studied. The choice of these age groups was explained by the presence of the most significant individual differences in morpho-functional features in the school students of this age. Results: among the methods for assessment of biological age in adolescent school students proposed in the literature, there is not a single one that would be statistically siginificantly related to the other methods. This applies to both boys and girls. The biological age of adolescents can be reliably determined using a set of three components: an assessment of physical development, the heterochronicity index, and the degree of manifestation of secondary sexual characteristics (for boys with a probability of 90.2%, for girls - 92.1%). The percentage ratio of these components has gender peculiarities. Methods for assessing biological age for scientific purposes and quick assessment for use in the practice of physical education and sports are proposed. The indicators in quick assessment technique include body length and the degree of development of the axillary hair. The reliability of the quick assessment technique is 81.4% for boys and 83.2% for girls. Conclusion: the development of adequate physical activity for adolescents of different biological ages will help to improve the physical health of the younger generation.