Assessment of Emotional State and Mental Activity of 15-16 Year-Old Boys and Girls Who Had a Low Level of Physical Activity

Abstract

The paper presents the results of assessing the emotional state, mental activity, and the level of physical activity in 15-16 year-old boys and girls. The validity and significance of the obtained results and conclusions were ensured by the choice of the research methods as follows: theoretical analysis and generalization of the data of scientific and methodological literature, psychological methods, methods for assessing physical activity (Framingham Physical Activity Index), and methods of mathematical statistics. The study involved 99 students, of which 50 students were 15 year-old and 49 students were 16 year-old. The obtained results indicate the relevance of the chosen area of research. Among the 15-16 year-old boys and girls, no persons were found with a high level of emotional state. For boys aged 15 to 16 years, the total score for emotional state was equal to 6.5-6.7 points, thus indicating a good state. For girls aged 15 to 16 years, the total score for emotional state was 5.8 points, thus indicating a worsened state. According to the results of the analysis of mental activity indicators, it was found that 15.6% (n = 5) of boys and 11.8% (n = 2) girls aged 15 years could not retain in memory any pair of digits and had the short-term memory span of 0.0%. In boys aged 15 to 16 years, short-term memory span was higher than in girls by 7.0% -7.4%, although there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) between them. The average values of attention span and switching of attentional focus of 15-16 year-old boys and girls indicate a low level of attention and a large number of mistakes made by them. The students aged 15-16 years spent 93.0% - 94.0% of time at a basal, a sedentary, and a slight levels of activity. They spent about 6.0-7.0% of time engaging in moderate and heavy physical activity. There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) between boys and girls in the distribution by physical activity levels. The results obtained should be taken into account when developing programs of health-enhancing and recreation classes for high school students.