Physical development indexes for medical selection in teenager aviation schools

LI Hao; JIN Liang; LI Xiaojie; WANG Wenchen; ZOU Zhikang

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-3402.2018.02.007

Abstract：Objective To monitor the indexes of physical development of Air Force teenager aviation cadets, identify patterns of physical development, and provide some reference for physical examination standards for Air Force teenager aviation school recruitment in China. Methods The height, sitting height, weight, chest size and length of upper extremities of students of Grade Ten, Eleven and Twelve at an Air Force teenager aviation school were measured. Through comparisons between groups and pair test, the patterns of physical development were revealed. Those cadets with boundary values were followed up. Results The values of height, sitting height, weight and chest size of cadets in Grade Eleven and Twelve were significantly higher than those in Grade Ten, with an average amplification of 1.23, 1.05 cm, 2.99 kg and 1.49 cm respectively. The length of upper extremities was not significantly different between these three grades. The height growth of cadets with boundary values whose height was less than 164 cm was around 1.33 cm a year, with an annual increase of 1.69 cm among those above 181 cm. Cadets whose sitting height exceeded 96 cm had annual height growth of 1.69 cm. Among underweight cadets, those with body weight less than 50 kg reached 50 kg or above in 2017, while those who were more than 20% underweight remained so in 2017. Cadets with the length of upper extremities less than 70 cm had annual length growth of 0.36 cm. Conclusion The height, sitting height, weight and chest size of Air Force teenager aviation cadets have increased significantly, but the length of upper extremities has not. Adjustment of weight in cadets who are over 20% underweight is much harder than in those of absolute underweight.