The levels of physical activity, physical fitness self-assessment, and physical working capacity in school students of the modern time

The article presents the results of evaluation of physical activity, physical fitness, and physical working capacity in 13-14-year-old boys. The following methods and techniques were used: theoretical analysis of specialized scientific and methodological literature authored by Ukrainian and foreign researchers, physiological methods (assessment of physical working capacity), methods for assessing physical activity (Framingham Physical Activity Index), self-assessment of physical fitness (E. Bochenkova’s method), and mathematical statistics. It was found that most of the adolescents who participated in the study did not have a proper level of physical activity. In our study, no participants with a high level of physical activity were identified. Nevertheless, only two participants (10%) had a very low level of physical activity (less than 30 points). Among the participants, 55% had a low level of physical activity (34.5 points on average), and the remaining 35% had a moderate level of physical activity, but were mostly at its lower limit (37 points). The assessment of physical working capacity using the Ruffier test showed that 35 % of the adolescent boys had a moderate level, 45 % had a lower than moderate, and 20 % had a low working capacity. An overestimated level of self- assessment of physical fitness was observed in only 5% of the subjects, 20% of the study participants had high self-assessment, 65% had a moderate level, and 10% a low level of self-assessment. The insufficient level of physical activity, moderate physical working capacity, and the moderate level of self-assessment of physical fitness necessitate the search for and substantiation of affordable, effective, attractive, and innovative approaches to engaging this population into regular physical exercise.