Physical Development of 17-Year-Old Adolescents in the Fourth Year of the War
Researchers from the Department of the Safety of Children’s Population Vital Functions assessed anthropometric indicators (height, body weight, and calculation of the Quetelet II and Rohrer indices) in 416 17-year-old adolescents in Kyiv. The results were evaluated in accordance with age-specific physical development standards pursuant to Order No. 1590 of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine dated September 13, 2024, registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on September 27, 2024, under No. 1459/42804 “On the Approval of Criteria for Assessing the Physical Development of Children Under 18 Years of Age.”
It was established that the average body length for 17-year-old girls is (165.61±0.42) cm and is significantly lower than that of boys of the same age (170.12±0.45) cm (p≤0.001), which corresponds to the general biological pattern of physical development – sexual dimorphism in body height during adolescence. Boys also had significantly higher mean body weight (62.04 ± 0.62) kg compared to girls (57.91 ± 0.51) kg (p ≤ 0.001), which is also consistent with the patterns of sexual dimorphism in body weight.
To comprehensively assess physical development, an index-based method was used, which allowed for the individual characteristics of the adolescents examined. The body mass index (BMI) reflects the ratio of a child’s body mass (weight) to the square of their body height, while the Rohrer index characterizes body type and its proportionality.
The average BMI for 17-year-old girls is (21.07 ± 0.13) kg/m² and is slightly lower than that of boys (21.35 ± 0.14; p ≤ 0.05) kg/m², which also corresponds to the general biological pattern of physical development known as “sexual dimorphism” regarding the proportionality of a child’s body weight to the square meter of their body length. It was found that the mean BMI values for both boys and girls are within the normal range for this age group.
The mean values of the Rohrer index for 17-year-old boys (12.55 ± 0.08) kg/m³ and girls (12.73 ± 0.08) kg/m³ are not statistically different, which should be interpreted as a tendency for growth processes to predominate over the rate of body weight gain among girls. Given that the Rorer index values range from (10.7–13.7) kg/m³ in accordance with accepted criteria, this allowed us to characterize the examined adolescents as corresponding to the average level of physical development.
The results indicate that in the fourth year of the war, the mean BMI values among adolescents generally correspond to age-specific norms. According to the Rohrer index, the examined adolescents belong to the group of children with an average level of physical development. No significant gender differences were found in terms of BMI and the Rohrer index. At the same time, there is a tendency toward a predominance of growth processes in girls, as well as an increase in body mass in boys (p ≤ 0.05).
Individual assessment of physical development based on BMI and classification into physical development groups indicates that 15% of 17-year-old boys are overweight (14.95 ± 2.44%; p ≤ 0.001), and nearly 8% of boys are obese (7.94 ± 1.85%). Among 17-year-old girls, 8% are overweight (7.92 ± 1.90%), and the obese group accounts for 5% (5.45 ± 1.60%), which is half the rate among boys (p ≤ 0.001). Overweight and obesity among adolescents, predominantly among boys, under conditions of constant stress caused by the war, require systematic medical monitoring.
The conducted studies indicate the need to continue dynamic monitoring of the impact of the negative consequences of full-scale war on the physical development of schoolchildren for the timely implementation of preventive measures aimed at preserving the health of adolescents.
Researchers from the department have developed a draft scientific report titled “Screening and Assessment of the Harmony of Physical Development in Children Aged 15–17.” Using the developed methodology, it is possible to determine the harmony and deviations in growth processes resulting from underweight and/or overweight conditions.
Material prepared by:
Alina PLATONOVA – Head of the Department of the Safety of Children’s Population Vital Functions, Doctor of Medical Sciemces.
Kateryna SHKARBAN – Researcher, Department of the Safety of Children’s Population Vital Functions
Tetyana STARCHA – Junior Researcher, Department of the Safety of Children’s Population Vital Functions
Department of the Safety of Children’s Population Vital Functions
(date of publication on the website: 29.04.2026)