Omparative analysis of physical development in children living in Samara and Nizhny Novgorod

Abstract

Analysis of physical development in children and adolescents is an integral to the monitoring of child population. Health status of children and adolescents is an essential criterion of societal welfare. Numerous studies of physical development in children indicate the heterogenous nature of growth and develpmental processes in children living in various regions of Russia. The study was aimed to perform the comparative analysis of physical development between children aged 15–17 living in Samara (a total of 714 children were examined, among them 368 boys and 346 girls) and children of the same age group living in Nizhny Novgorod (a total of 689 children, among them 351 boys and 338 girls). In school students aged 16–17, significant differences in the mean height were revealed: adolescents living in Samara were taller than those living in Nizhny Novgorod (p = 0.001). The same trend was observed in girls of the same age group. Comparative analysis showed that girls aged 15–17 living in Samara were significantly taller (p < 0.001) than girls who lived in Nizhny Novgorod. Assessment of body weight showed that the weight of boys aged 15–16 who lived in Samara was significantly higher compared to boys living in Nizhny Novgorod (p = 0.009). No significant differences were revealed between the groups of 17‑year‑old boys and the groups of girls aged 15–17 (р = 0.7). The findings on the differences in the anthropometric indicators of children living in Samara and Nizhny Novgorod justify the need for periodic development and use in healthcare practice of the regional standards for assessment of physical development in children and adolescents.