Modern Trends of the Development of Primary School-Aged Children (Literature Review)

The beginning of children’s school education is a potential risk of morphofunctional and psycho-physiological disorders in the body because of the significant reduction in daily physical activity, the change in day regimen, emotional and intellectual stress, which are often inadequate for the age-related psycho-physiological capabilities of schoolchildren. In this paper, we analyzed the literature on the development of modern children of primary school age according to the results of the assessment of morphological, functional and mental indicators. The identification of a general trend in the development of primary school-aged children is necessary for determination and development of health-saving programs to implement in the system of modern education. A review of data on the development of younger school children over the past 20 years shows an increase in the number of children with digressions in physical development, deterioration in physical fitness, delay of biological age from actual age, stress of the cardiovascular system, decrease in lung capacity and muscle strength. This pattern is manifested regardless of the region of residence and the nationality of children. There is an increase in the number of children with learning difficulties. Among the reasons for these changes, researchers highlight the complexity of the educational program, physical inactivity, the delay of physical development and, at the same time, medical and social successes of the state, allowing preserving the life of newborns even with somatic and neurological abnormalities. In connection with the identified trend of development of modern primary school children, the measures are needed to optimize children’s learning activities by the following criteria: level of physical activity, intensity of intellectual loads, rest mode

Psychosocial Addiction Assessment Among 17‒18-year Old Students of Novosibirsk

Introduction: the article presents the results of a study of 17–18 year students from various universities of Novosibirsk and identifies the prevalence of the tendency to various forms of psychosocial dependencies among the youth. The relevance of the work is predetermined by the increased dissemination of various psychosocial addictions among the youth and formation of youth subculture of addictive behaviour. Early detection of persons exhibiting a high propensity for various forms of psychosocial addictions, will predict negative trends in the youth environment and in a timely manner provide them with psychological and pedagogical help. The aim of this work is to identify among the 1st – 2nd year students in Novosibirsk the prevalence of the propensity for dif ferent types of psychosocial dependencies. Materials and Methods: over 10 thousand students aged from 17 to 18 years participated in the sociological study in Novosibirsk. The authors developed a special computer programme to identify propensity to addictions. The obtained results were processed using methods of variationa l and difference statistics. Results: many of 17–18 year old students have no addiction. The 17–18 year old girls have a higher level of propensity to tobacco addiction compared to boys and a tendency to increase the number of people with high risk of dependence to psychoactive substances. Young men with a high propensity to dependent behaviour have a higher risk to “heavy” types of dependence than girls. Discussion and Conclusions: the described tendencies reflect the general situation in the society, associated with the formation of youth subculture of addictive behaviour. The results should be considered in preventive and educational activities in universities. Methods for identifying addictions are effective in the correctional activity of psychologists. The authors intend to investigate the behaviour of students in high schools and in universities to reveal propensity to addictions

Analysis of factors affecting completion of growth processes in the post-puberty period

Post-puberty age is characterized by the formation of a definitive level of morphofunctional indicators of the body, the processes of social adaptation to a new after school stage of life and level of education. For age-related physiology, the post-puberty age is of interest in terms of the timing of completion of growth processes, as well as factors that determine these boundaries. Differences in the timing of completion of growth processes in juvenile age are due not only to a genetic factor, but also to a complex of epigenetic effects. This paper analyzes the literature data on factors that determine the timing of stabilization of growth processes in post-puberty age. The results of the analysis allow us to scientifically justify the conditions for the full implementation of the genotypic trait of long body size. Modern ideas about humoral mechanisms of growth regulation indicate the relationship between the secretion of growth factors and environmental conditions. Numerous studies prove the association of growth hormone with the stage of delta sleep and physical activity, somatomedin-C-with a protein diet. Growth hormone synergists in certain concentrations are insulin, sex and thyroid hormones, while glucocorticoids are antagonists. These factors allow us to explain the secular variability of the longitudinal body parameters of the generations in 19th-20th and 20th-21st centuries, depending on socio-economic conditions, lifestyle, puberty, and nutrition. The significance of the genetic factor is confirmed by differences in the timing of stabilization of body length between populations of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and the sensitivity of growth processes to environmental factors is appeared between different geographical latitudes populations. Therefore, along with the genetic factor, climatic and geographical conditions, food quality, sleep and wake patterns, and lifestyle are determinants that affect the variability in the timing of growth processes completion in postpubertal age