The physical development of young men of ethno-territorial groups of the Republic of Mordovia

At present, various ethno-territorial groups are of great interest to researchers in order to study their physical development, morphological and functional indicators in order to identify the body's adaptive responses to environmental factors. To date, research devoted to the study of the level of physical development, features of the morphological and functional state of adolescent males, taking into account ethno-territorial characteristics, have not been conducted in the Republic of Mordovia. The aim of the study was to study the level of physical development and anthropometric status of young men aged 17-21 years, of different ethnicity, permanently residing in the Republic of Mordovia. Random samples of 1612 male students were examined, including 774 Russian males and 838 Mordovian males. The place of birth, length of residence in the Republic of Mordovia and the corresponding ethnicity of the parents for at least three generations were taken into account. As a result, it was found that among young people of the studied populations, individuals with an average head shape with proportional development and normal body weight predominate. Among young men, a normosthenic type of constitution of an andromorph body type is common with an average life index and a low or average strength index. The majority of students of the Russian ethno-territorial group have an average face shape, a narrow chest shape, while the representatives of the Mordovian ethno-territorial group have a wide face shape, a proportional shape of the chest. In the first group of students, body length indicators were also higher, which most likely has a genetic influence. Comparative evaluation of anthropometric and functional indicators of the body of young men showed that in order to establish the morphological and functional features, as well as the level of physical development of adolescent males, the best results are obtained when the researcher works with specific ethno-territorial groups. A distinctive feature for both studied groups is the shape of the face and chest, which depend on heredity and are constant characteristics. The results obtained can be used in the development of university and regional health programs for adolescent males in the Republic of Mordovia.