Comparative characteristics of methods for assessing the physical development of schoolchildren in hygienic practice

Annotation. Assessment of physical development of children and adolescents is a key stage of medical and social monitoring of the health of the child population, which allows timely detection of deviations in growth, development and formation of the body. Changes occurring in the modern educational, social and environmental environment determine the relevance of improving methods for studying physical development. This problem is of particular importance in connection with the spread of hypodynamia, malnutrition, increased psycho-emotional stress and the growth of chronic pathology in school-age children. An analysis of modern methods for assessing the physical development of children and adolescents was conducted, taking into account current regulatory documents and scientific approaches. Three key methods were considered: the method of sigmal deviations, the complex method and criteria for assessing physical development, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 52 of 2024. Special attention was paid to the methodological foundations of each approach, as well as the principles of calculating and interpreting results. In the process of preparing the article, a theoretical and analytical review of scientific publications, methodological recommendations and regulatory documents relating to the assessment of the physical development of children and adolescents was carried out. The analysis was carried out by comparing the methodological foundations, assessment criteria, practical suitability of each of the methods, as well as their compliance with modern ideas about harmonious physical development. The source base was made up of modern publications in professional medical-biological and pedagogical publications, as well as current regulatory legal acts of Ukraine. The article emphasizes the advantages of the sigmal deviation method in the standardized quantitative assessment of deviations of anthropometric indicators from medical and biological norms. The complex method is presented as a multifaceted tool that takes into account somatotype, harmony and biological age, but requires a highly qualified specialist. Analysis of the 2024 Ministry of Health criteria allowed us to identify their dependence on standard estimates (z-scores), even despite the absence of a direct mention of them in the regulatory document. The criteria are designed for quick and simple diagnostics in clinical and educational practice. The problem of harmonious development is analysed, which in the new Ministry of Health criteria is represented indirectly through the correspondence of body weight to height. The updated criteria of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (2024) are based on modern centile analysis, which unifies approaches to the diagnosis of physical development and allows adapting international standards of the EU, USA and Canada to the Ukrainian population. Comparison of methods allowed to determine their informativeness, accessibility, objectivity and practical feasibility in various areas: from school medicine to the stages of in-depth preventive examinations. The results obtained can be used to improve the quality of medical and pedagogical monitoring and improve educational programs for students of medical faculties.