Somatometric indicators, intellectual achievements and the state of the autonomic nervous system in students at a higher educational institution

Relevance. Harmonious development of personality is achieved through balanced improvement of physical and mental qualities of a person. The available methods of psychophysiological selection of applicants to higher educational institutions and methods of accompanying the educational process are largely subjective, time-consuming and unable to fully predict the future professional fate of the student. This work is devoted to the study of the integrative relationship between the results of physical and intellectual activity, on the one hand, and their basic vegetative support, on the other hand, in young people.

Intention: is to characterize the interrelationships of physical characteristics, intellectual achievements and features of vegetative support of the body of young people studying at the university.

Methodology. A total of 329 practically healthy subjects, aged 19.8 ± 1.2 years, undergoing training at a higher educational institution according to the specialty program, were examined. Data collection was conducted through face-to-face individual interviews. Using variational cardiointervalography, parameters of the autonomic support of organism vital activity and indicators of their balance were assessed. Indicators of the autonomic nervous system were recorded based on the results of cardiorhythmography according to R.M. Bayevsky, using the hardware and software complex “Valenta” and the biosignal converter PBS-01. The state of the autonomic nervous system

was evaluated at rest and during the application of functional tests.

Results and their analysis. The results of the assessment of physical and mental performance were statistically insignificantly correlated with all indicators of vegetative support of the body’s activity, with the exception of the stress index, which directly correlated with moderate strength with the speed of the subjects at all measurement points (r = 0.55, 0.7 and 0.64, respectively, p < 0.05). The percentage change in the intensity index directly correlated with the indicators speed and endurance and vice versa – with parameters of strength and cognitive success. There was a trend of moderate strength towards a decrease in cognitive success against the background of an increase in speed (r = −0.5, p > 0.05), weak – as the endurance index increases (r = −0.24, p > 0.05) and their increase as the value of the physical strength index increases (r = 0.17, p > 0.05).

Conclusion. The dependence of functional characteristics on somatometric indicators in individuals completing their education at the university exists. The autonomic support of organism activity is in a complex interrelation with indicators of its psychophysiological functioning. Growth in intellectual achievements is observed predominantly under conditions of the prevailing tone of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. The modification of organism functioning parameters is subject to correction through both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.

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