Influence of moderate physical exercise on the cardiac rhythm parameters of elementary and junior high school children

To reveal the specific features of the influence of moderate exercise (running) on the autonomic regulation of the cardiac rhythm, changes in the heart rate variability (HRV) parameters have been analyzed during three months in 292 children aged 9–14, as dependent on the sex and the baseline autonomic tone estimated by means of cluster analysis. It has been shown that, in schoolchildren engaged in running for health, HRV changes give evidence for the optimization of the mechanisms of autonomic regulation. The HRV parameters in the girls were more resistant to muscular activity compared to boys. The data obtained indicate that running for health requires a differential approach to dosing of the exercise, taking into account the sex and the baseline autonomic tone.