Dr.Med., Professor G.M. Kazantinova¹
S.N. Fedoryachenko²
O.V. Korobov²
A.A. Kumantsev^2
1Volgograd State Agrarian University (GAU), Volgograd
²National Research University "Higher School of Economics", Moscow

Keywords: physical working capacity, students exempted from physical practices, students with disabilities, maximal oxygen consumption.

Introduction. Physical working capacity is among the most important concepts of the psychophysiology of labour [1, 2, 5]. Studies of physical working capacity in people of different professions enable us to consider it also as one of its health criteria [4, 5, 6, 10]. Physical working capacity of individuals engaged in physical culture and sports is determined by their fitness and physical development levels [6, 10]. The available study reports on the subject provide basic data on the working capacity rates of the students subject to academic physical education and sports in the main and special health groups [3, 10, 11]. However, we could find no data on the working capacity rates of the students from the group of those exempted from physical practices. Meanwhile, it is this group that individuals with a variety of health disorders and physical deficiencies are a part of.

Objective of the study was to rate physical working capacity of the students exempted from the academic physical education practices and use the obtained data in an objective justification of recommended exercise types.  

Research method and organization. Physical working capacity was studied using the PWC170 Cycle Test, version by V.L. Karpman; the functionality of the cardiorespiratory system was assessed by the Maximal Oxygen Consumption Test, indirect metering version [9].

The research involved 45 1^st – 4^th year students (males - 51.1%; females – 48.9%), all of them being part of the group exempted from physical practices. To assess physical working capacity in view of diseases all the students were divided into groups: those diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (group I), those with musculoskeletal disorders (group II) and students diagnosed with other health conditions (group III).

Results and discussion. Data in Table 1 indicate low physical working capacity levels in all the surveyed students, especially reduced in females – 7.8±0.2 kgm/min.kg. At the same time, their maximal oxygen consumption rates were higher than those of the males, amounting to 21.7±0.8 ml/min.kg and 18.5±1.0 ml/min.kg, respectively (р≤0.05), which corresponded to 54.3±2.0% and 39.4±2.3% of the due VO2 max.  

Table 1. Physical working capacity rates of students exempted from academic physical education practices

Note: р≤0.05; p≤0.001 are significant compared with the group of females

Physical working capacity assessed in view of the year of studying showed that it was the lowest in the male first-year students and in the female second- and third-year students (Table 2).

Table 2. Physical working capacity rates of students exempted from academic physical education practices by the year of study

First-year students had low rates of VO2 max, an average of 18.9±1.7 ml/min.kg in males and 17.9±2.6 ml/min.kg in females, which corresponded to only 40.7±4.0% and 45.8±7.8% of the due value. The data in Table 2 show that the physical working capacity and VO2 max rates in males and females slightly increase by the second year, and then decrease again by the 3rd year. This negative dynamics is especially noticeable in males. Their physical working capacity dropped to 9.1±0.7 kgm/min.kg, and % of VO2 max to the due one – to 31.3±3.5%. Differentiated assessment of the studied indicators found that the physical working capacity rates were below the average in 34.8% of males and 31.8% of females (8.1±0.2 kgm/min.kg versus 6.5±0.1 kgm/min.kg) (Table 3).

Table 3. Differentiated assessment of physical working capacity of students exempted from academic physical education practices

Note: р≤0.001 is significant compared with the average data

The differentiated assessment was carried out against the background of reduced oxygen consumption. The percentage of VO2 max to the due value is just 29.2±1.8% and 45.7±1.9% (p≤0.001) in them. Along with this, the physical working capacity values were above average in 52.2% of males and 45.4% of females, amounting to 10.1±0.1 kgm/min.kg and 8.7±0.1 kgm/min.kg respectively. Hence, their VO2 max values were above average too, amounting to 23.0±0.8 ml/min.kg in males and 25.1±0.4 ml/min.kg in females, which corresponded to 48.3±1.0% and 62.2±1.1% of the due value.

Thus, the findings indicate that the physical working capacity rates was average only in 13% of males and 22.8% of females. Maximal oxygen consumption corresponded to the average value only in 8.7% of males.  

Physical working capacity study in view of the health conditions involved showed that its lowest values are observed in individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (Table 4).

It is found in men with lower VO2 max compared with the other nosologies, and in females with higher VO2 max, which amounts to 37.0±3.8% of the due value in the former and 57.2±3.4% in the latter.

Table 4. Assessment of physical working capacity of the surveyed students in view of diseases

The test data showed the generally low physical working capacity rates in the students exempted from the academic physical education practices, especially in the females. It is accompanied by a decrease in the maximal oxygen consumption with regard to its due values. The lowest physical working capacity values were recorded in the first-year students. Positive dynamics of the physical working capacity rates by the second year of studies gives place to negative by the 3^rd year.

Conclusions. The conducted research suggests that low physical working capacity of the surveyed students is related to their diseases and their nature. The latter is confirmed by its lower values in individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases. However, it is impossible to exclude the role of a social factor, such as the fact that most of the third-year students study alongside employment, which reduces physical capabilities of the body. At the same time, one should also share the opinion of those researchers who associate the low physical working capacity with low fitness levels. Hand strength dynamometry study in the surveyed students showed that in 38.9% of males the strength of the right hand was only 29.0±3.3 kg, and in 68.0% of females it was 18.0±0.9 kg. The data obtained allow to come up with some methodological considerations for improving the physical working capacity of the students exempted from physical practices. In particular, for individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, exercises should involve small and medium muscle groups and gradually by the end of the second semester exercises involving large muscles of the limbs and the back should be introduced.    Individuals with the musculoskeletal system diseases and other diseases should do exercises involving medium and other muscles of the limbs and trunk. Moreover, by the 2^nd semester the exercises should be reviewed to objectively decide whether the load increase is required.

References

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Corresponding author: andryushenko-lil@mail.ru

Abstract

New Russian professional education standards have been implemented to meet the demand of professional community for highly workable specialists. Recent profession-specific working capacity profiling studies have ranked physical working capacity among the key health criteria. The available study reports on the subject provide basic data on the working capacity rates of the students subject to academic physical education and sports in the main and special health groups. However, we could not find any data on the working capacity rates of the students exempted from the academic physical education lessons for health related reasons including a variety of health disorders and physical deficiencies. Objective of the study was to rate physical working capacity of the students exempted from the academic physical education practices by the following rating tests: PWC170 Cycle Test, version by V.L. Karpman; and the Maximal Oxygen Consumption Test, indirect metering version. The test data showed the generally low physical working capacity rates in the students exempted from the academic physical education practices, with the first-year students diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases tested with particularly low rates. This article was intended to provide a foothold for the inter-university cooperation to develop practical recommendations on how the students’ working capacity rates should be improved using a variety of innovative health and educational technologies.