[Moscow schoolchildren's physical development: state-of-the-art and evaluation techniques]

The paper compares the data on schoolchildren's physical development, by using three different rating tables (centile Russian and foreign tables) and calculating the Z score. It also gives data of comparison of the anthropometric indices obtained with these tables, as well as a correlation between the results obtained by applying these methods. In addition, anthropometric indices (body weight, height, physical development harmonicity) were studied in 1st- and 5th-form pupils from Moscow general educational schools. The basic trends of the schoolchildren's physical development in the past 10 years are analyzed. The findings indicate the positive changes in Moscow schoolchildren's physical development, which are characterized by an increase in the number of children with a normal body weight, by a relative decrease in that of children with low body weight, and by a rise in the proportion of tall children.