PhD, Associate Professor G.I. Semenova¹
PhD, Associate Professor I.V. Yerkomashvili¹
PhD, Associate Professor LA. Boyarskaya¹
PhD, Associate Professor S.M. Galysheva¹
PhD, Professor V.N. Lyubertsev^1
1Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg

Keywords: health protection, physical health, self-rating, healthy lifestyle, health index, injuries, injury prevention.

Background. The Physical Education Department of Ural Federal University implements a few ambitious research projects including the health-improvement ones in application to a variety of population groups: children, seniors, sporting people and individuals diagnosed with health disorders. The University faculty, students, masters and postgraduates have run the following research projects for the last two years:

• Effects of a variety of aerobics disciplines on the secondary schoolgirls’ somatic health rates;
• Attitudes of the physical culture university students to health and healthy lifestyles; and
• Reasons for and physiological mechanisms of injuries in football.

Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of general and special health-protection provisions for the education and training service to different population groups.

Methods and structure of the study. One of the research projects was designed to assess benefits of different aerobics disciplines on the secondary schoolgirls’ somatic health rates by a variety of objective tests and subjective self-rating surveys.

Physical development, physical fitness and health statuses were rated based on the data generated by the Schoolchildren’s Health and Behaviour Questionnaire Survey. The survey form was designed within the frame of the International Research Project ‘Health Behaviour in School-aged Children’ supported by the World Health Organization and coordinated by the WHO European Bureau; and in compliance with the Research Work Plan approved by the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports. The questionnaire survey form offered 82 key questions plus 44 extra questions added by a research team of the Russian Academy of Education Ural Office. The questionnaire form was designed to mine health data of children and adolescents and their attitudes to own health, plus survey their daily regimen, diets, family relations and exposure to bad habits including drug/ alcohol/ smoking addictions; in addition, much attention in the survey form was given to the physical education and sport issues [2, 3].

Physical fitness of the sample was objectively rated by the following tests: 30m sprint and 2000m race test; 4x9m shuttle sprint test; push-ups test; and sit-ups test. Furthermore, the mid-age schoolgirls’ health was rated by anthropometrical measurements including chest circumference; body length and mass; body type; fat index; respiratory rates; Pignet Body Build indices; and timed inspiratory and expiratory capacity and squat tests. The tests were performed at a few Yekaterinburg-based fitness clubs, with 37 secondary schoolgirls being subject to the tests.

Furthermore, we used the S. Deryabo [1] survey form to poll the students’ attitudes to health and healthy lifestyles. Subject to the study were 122 third- and fourth-year students of the Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy Institute of UrFU. 

The project to analyze the reasons and mechanisms for injuries in football [4] was based on medical health records analyses, monitoring and sociological questionnaire surveys. Subject to the tests were 20 football players and 5 coaches of the Ural-Mol Football Club from Yekaterinburg. 

Study results and discussion. Having analysed the schoolgirls’ health test and survey data, we found the special health aerobics being of high benefits for health of trainees as verified, among other things, by the squat tests showing progress from 20-25% to 40-45% as a result of the health project; and by the fat index variation in the body-ballet group, with the body-mass-deficient subgroup tested to contract from 50% to 5-10%.

The questionnaire survey found most of the schoolgirls adequately rating their physical abilities, with the differences of self-rates and test rates being group-specific i.e. dependent on the aerobics discipline. It was the body-ballet group that was the most accurate in the pre-experimental self-ratings followed by the classical aerobics and step aerobics groups that were about the same in the self-ratings. The post-experimental self-rates (a year later) were at least as high as the pre-experimental ones. It should be noted that the health aerobics practices helped build up both physical fitness and conscientious attitudes to own health as demonstrated by own physicality self-rates. A correlation analysis showed a high correlation (r>0.7) of the physicality self- and test-rates for the whole experimental period that is indicative of the secondary schoolgirls being quite fair in their physical fitness self-rating.

Survey of the students’ attitudes to health and healthy lifestyles (HLS) offered the respondents to rank the following life values: financial wealth; natural life; friendship and good relations with other people; love and family; health and healthy lifestyle; career (professional, academic and sporting one); spirituality (ethics, self-development). The survey found health and healthy lifestyle ranked among the top priority values (rank 1-2) by 68% of the physical culture university students; ranked low (rank 6-7) by 12% and average (rank 3-5) by 20% of the students polled.

The health agendas of the students were measured in emotional, cognitive and motivational/ behavioural components, with each of the components rated on the emotional, cognitive, practical and action scales. Having summarised the componential points, we computed the individual health indices.

The emotional scale was designed to meter the respondents’ health in the emotional domain. The survey found 56% and 40% of the PEDUrFU students scoring high and average on this scale, respectively. This may mean that they take care of their health for pleasure and well-being rather than for practical necessity only. It was also found that 42% of the students are driven by pleasure as the core motivation for their health agendas. 

The cognitive scale was designed to rate the health agenda in the cognitive domain. Most of the students (84%) showed high interest in the health and healthy lifestyle related knowledge due to their academic vocation in fact. Furthermore, 65% of the PEDUrFU students surveyed mentioned immunity to diseases among the key motivations for health agenda; 42% and 31% of the students mentioned unhealthy environments and bad habits among the highest risks for their own health, respectively. 

The practical scale was designed to rate the health agenda in the practical domain, with 68% of the sample ranked high on this scale i.e. taking practical actions to protect their health including due diets, certain physical activity etc.

The action scale was designed to rate the health agenda as manifested in the individual practical actions to protect/ improve own health and/or abide by a healthy lifestyle, with the relevant environment-changing actions. 54% and 36% of the students were rated high and average on this scale, respectively, i.e. they are fairly capable to lure other people into active health-improvement lifestyles.

The study found the health/ healthy lifestyle attitude rating index being high, average and low in 80%, 12% and 8% of the students, with the latter subgroup being in the risk zone i.e. prone to neglect the healthy lifestyle and thereby expose themselves to diseases. 

Therefore, the study rated most of the PEDUrFU students fairly high on the health scales (emotional, cognitive, practical and action scales) that may be due to their appreciation of the physical culture university mission that implies health and healthy lifestyle being ranked high among the individual values of importance for a professional career of a physical education and sports specialist.

Our studies of the injury statistics reported by the Ural-Mol FC showed domination of damaged soft tissues, slightly/ severely torn ligaments, slightly injured skeletal muscles, damaged lateral meniscus, and bruised ankle. In percentage terms, quite significant are the sprains of thigh extension muscles (13.3%), ligaments of knee joints (10.1%), thigh quadriceps and inguinal ligaments (6.6%); damaged lateral meniscus (3.3%) and bruised ankles (6.2%).

Injuries in 85% of the cases were reportedly due to the poor-quality/ slippery artificial grass when the player slips trying to change fast the movement direction and, hence, injuring his thigh/ pelvis muscles and/or ligaments that may be sub-torn or sprained followed by an inflammation. Many injuries are due to the inadequate foot grip on the grass with the forces of inertia overstressing the ankle, knee and thigh ligaments. A contact with the opponent may force the player stop and twist on a straight leg and, hence, slightly or severely tear his anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL).

Muscular tissues and ligaments of the thigh quadriceps and knew joints may be injured when the player stops fast to kick the ball and fails to lower down the body gravity centre and bend the knee joints. It should be noted that sprains and slight tears of knee and ankle joints may be triggered by transitions from the natural outdoor fields to the artificial grass indoors and vice versa, with the associating drastic changes in the habitual motor stereotypes and physiological costs of the muscular loads. Players are particularly exposed to injuries when their adaptation mechanisms are given too little time to adjust to the new game environments.

Furthermore, too intensive and frequent fast actions; drastic changes in the movement directions; monotony of standard movement sequences in the training and competitive process – all these and other things may result in fatigue and hyperstress of the thigh and pelvis muscles and lowered rehabilitation capacities, particularly when the game schedules are too tense.

The reasons for and mechanisms of injuries in football, as analysed by the study, made it possible to develop and offer an injury-prevention action plan applicable in the football training and competitive cycles. The injury prevention actions are designed to: detect micro-injuries as early as possible; offer special safety measures in the periods of transitions from the natural dry to wet or artificial grass; improve the safety standards and apply them on an individualised basis to protect footballers with due regard to their physical fitness and technical skills and current performance rates.

Conclusion. The study data and analysis of the health agendas of a few population groups enabled us to find and offer a few general and group-specific provisions applicable in the education and training process to respond the needs and abilities of the relevant population group. A special priority in the health-protection and improvement service shall be given to the efforts to cultivate conscientious and committed attitudes in the physical education and sport process actors to their own health. In addition, a special emphasis in the health protection service shall be given to efficient injury prevention plans.

References

1. Deryabo S. Indeks otnosheniya k zdorovyu [Index of attitude to health]. Available at: http://zdd.1september.ru/view_article.php?ID =201000108 [] (Date of access: 11.07.2017).
2. Snigireva A.K., Semenova G.I. Sravnitelny analiz otsenki i samootsenki fizicheskoy podgotovlennosti i fizicheskogo razvitiya devochek srednego shkolnogo vozrasta, zanimayuschikhsya raznymi vidami ozdorovitelnoy aerobiki [Comparative analysis of rating and self-rating of physical fitness and physical development of secondary schoolgirls, engaged in various types of fitness aerobics]. Mater. III mezhdunar. nauch.-prakt. internet-konf. ‘Aktualnye problemy razvitiya chelovecheskogo potentsiala v sovremennom obschestve’ [Proc. III Intern. res.-pract. Internet-conference ‘Actual problems of human development in modern society’]. Perm: PSRU publ., 2016, pp. 424-427.
3. Fedorov A.I. Povedencheskie faktory zdorovya podrostkov: genderny aspekt: Nauchnoe izdanie [Behavioral factors of adolescent health: gender aspect: Scientific publication]. Chelyabinsk: USUPC, CSSEC RAE publ., 2007, 28 p.
4. Panchuk T. Features of traumatism prevention in football. Scientific journal of M.P. Dragomanov National pedagogical university. Series 18. Scientific pedagogical problems of physical culture: physical culture and sport. Kiev: Dragomanov NPU publ., 2011. no. 14. 324 p., pp. 127-136.

Corresponding author: d_narkhov@mail.ru

Abstract

The article presents findings of the study of health protection service to different population groups. Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of special health-protection provisions for the education and training service to different population groups. The study addressed and analysed the schoolgirls’ health self-rates; attitudes of the physical culture university students to healthy lifestyles; and injury statistics of a football club. Subject to experiment under the study were 20 football players and 5 coaches of the Ural-Mol Football Club from Yekaterinburg city. The studies of health protection service to different population groups made it possible to formulate a few general and group-specific provisions for the education and training process design. It is the conscientious health agendas and motivations of the physical education and sports process actors that shall be in top priority in any health-protection initiative. In addition, a special emphasis in any health-protection initiative shall be made on the injury prevention component. The study proved benefits of the special health-protection provisions for the education and training service provided to different population groups.