Ethnic characteristics of physical and mental development of children, adolescents and youth in the Republic of Tuva (literature review)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.3.10Keywords:
Republic of Tuva, Tuvans, ethnic characteristic, child, adolescent, youth, physical development, mental development, health, reviewAbstract
The article presents a review of scientific studies on the ethnic characteristics of the physical and mental development of children, adolescents and youth of the indigenous population of the Republic of Tuva over the past 25 years. The analysis revealed a number of general physiological features in the formation of physical development among representatives of the Tuvan ethnic group. Data on secular changes in the anthropometric characteristics of children and adolescents in the Republic of Tuva are considered. Studies are noted that describe ethnic features manifesting from birth, characterized by smaller longitudinal body dimensions, a predominance of disharmonious physical development due to excess body weight, and a markedly higher tension of adaptive mechanisms compared to Russian peers. At the same time, the Republic of Tuva shows a relatively favorable situation in terms of indicators of intellectual development of children, adolescents and youth compared to other regions of Russia, which is associated, among other factors, with large-scale measures to address iodine deficiency in this territory, against the background of a difficult situation with suicidal behavior among children and adolescents.
The review highlights the insufficiency and fragmentary nature of scientific data on the physical and mental status of representatives of the Tuvan nationality, especially in younger age groups. The need is emphasized for a comprehensive approach to studying health indicators in children, adolescents and youth of the Republic of Tuva and for developing additional screening and preventive medical programs that take into account the ethnocultural characteristics of the region, as well as for adapting social support measures to improve the living conditions and quality of life of this small-numbered population of Russia.
References
Ag-ool, E. M. (2007a) Comparative characteristics of the features of physical development of adolescents in Tuva and other ethnic groups. Gigiena i sanitariya, no. 2, pp. 47–50. (In Russ.)
Ag-ool, E. M. (2007b) Influence of socio-hygienic and environmental factors on the health status and physical development of schoolchildren in the Republic of Tuva. Gigiena i sanitariya, no. 1, pp. 64–67. (In Russ.)
Ag-ool, E. M. (2008) Study of the physical development of adolescents in the Republic of Tuva. Gigiena i sanitariya, no. 1, pp. 67–70. (In Russ.)
Aksyanova, N. G. (2009) Main results of race-genetic studies in Tuva in the 20th century (review of literature sources). Arkheologiya, etnografiya i antropologiya Evrazii, no. 4 (40), pp. 137–145. (In Russ.)
Batsevich, V. A., Mashina, D. A. and Permyakova, E. Yu. (2020) Socio-economic transformations in the territory of Tuva and changes in adaptive biological characteristics in the indigenous population. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 23: Antropologiya, no. 4, pp. 20–31. (In Russ.)
Batsevich, V. A., Permyakova, E. Yu., Mashina, D. A., Yasina, O. V. and Khrustaleva, O. V. (2020) Comparison of urban and rural groups of school-age children in the Republic of Tuva according to bioimpedance analysis data under conditions of “transformation” of the traditional way of life. Vestnik arkheologii, antropologii i etnografii, no. 4 (51), pp. 148–160. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.20874/2071-0437-2020-51-4-13
Batsevich, V. A., Mashina, D. A., Krasilnikova, V. A., Yasina, O. V. and Permyakova, E. Yu. (2021) Changes in anthropological characteristics of youth in Tuva in connection with the influence of socio-economic factors. New Research of Tuva, no. 3, pp. 148–163. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2021.3.12
Buduk-ool, L. K. (2008) Regional features of the functional status of students living in the Republic of Tuva. Ekologiya cheloveka, no. 1, pp. 26–30. (In Russ.)
Buduk-ool, L. K. (2011) Morphophysical characteristics of students’ bodies as an indicator of adaptation to environmental conditions. Vestnik Tuvinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Estestvennye i sel’skokhozyaystvennye nauki, no. 2 (9), pp. 48–53. (In Russ.)
Volova, T. L., Shelygin, K. V., Men’shikova, L. I. and Son, I. M. (2022) Childhood disability due to mental disorders in the Arkhangelsk Region: structural and dynamic trends. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii im. S. S. Korsakova, vol. 122, no. 9, iss. 2, pp. 90–95. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17116/jnevro202212209290
Gritsinskaya, V. L., Sanchat, N. O. and Omzar, O. S. (2009) Current trends in growth, development and health of children and adolescents in the Republic of Tuva. Krasnoyarsk, OOO “Verso”. 101 p. (In Russ.)
Gritsinskaya, V. L. (2012) Dynamics of physical development indicators in newborns in the Republic of Tuva. Gigiena i sanitariya, vol. 91, no. 1, pp. 57–59. (In Russ.)
Gritsinskaya, V. L. and Sendi, S. S. (2012) Features of physical development and nutrition of schoolchildren in the Republic of Tuva. Voprosy detskoy dietologii, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 6–8. (In Russ.)
Gritsinskaya, V. L., Salchak, N. Yu., Sanchat, N. O. and Omzar, O. S. (2013) Comprehensive assessment of the physical development of children in the Republic of Tuva. Byulleten’ Vostochno-Sibirskogo nauchnogo tsentra Sibirskogo otdeleniya Rossiyskoy akademii meditsinskikh nauk, no. 3–2 (91), pp. 60–63. (In Russ.)
Gritsinskaya, V. L. and Sanchat, N. O. (2021) Indicators of growth and development of children in the Republic of Tuva depending on the type of feeding. Children’s Medicine of the North-West, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 38–44. (In Russ.)
Dutkin, M. P. (2017) Ethnocultural factors of suicidal behavior. Vestnik Severo-Vostochnogo federal’nogo universiteta im. M. K. Ammosova. Seriya: Meditsinskie nauki, no. 4 (09), pp. 42–45. (In Russ.)
Krasilnikova, V. A., Buduk-ool, L. K. and Aizman, R. I. (2005) Features of physical development of urban and rural primary schoolchildren in the Republic of Tuva. Sibirskiy pedagogicheskiy zhurnal, no. 4, pp. 143–148. (In Russ.)
Krasilnikova, V. A., Buduk-ool, L. K. and Aizman, R. I. (2008) Morphofunctional development of schoolchildren of Tuvan and Russian nationalities. Fiziologiya cheloveka, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 74–81. (In Russ.)
Kuchma, V. R., Rapoport, I. K., Sukhareva, L. M., Skoblina, N. A., Sedova, A. S., Chubarovskiy, V. V. and Sokolova, S. B. (2021) Health of children and adolescents in school ontogenesis as a basis for improving the system of medical support and sanitary-epidemiological well-being of students. Zdravookhranenie Rossiyskoy Federatsii, vol. 65, no. 4, pp. 325–333. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.47470/0044-197X-2021-65-4-325-333
Lyakh, V. I., Levushkin, S. P., Son’kin, V. D. and Skoblina, N. A. (2021) Trends in changes in physical development indicators of children, adolescents and youth at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century (review). Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury, no. 11, pp. 56–59. (In Russ.)
Manchuk, V. T., Semenova, N. B., Muzafarova, A. F., Orlova, Yu. N. and Dolgushina, E. E. (2013) Psychopathological foundations of suicidal behavior in adolescents of the indigenous peoples of Siberia. Byulleten’ Vostochno-Sibirskogo nauchnogo tsentra Sibirskogo otdeleniya Rossiyskoy akademii meditsinskikh nauk, no. 4 (92), pp. 141–146. (In Russ.)
Mendelevich, B. D. (2009) Features of morbidity with mental and behavioral disorders in children in the Russian Federation. Sotsial’nye aspekty zdorov’ya naseleniya, no. 3 (11), article 7 [online] Available at: http://vestnik.mednet.ru/content/view/135/30/lang,ru/ (accessed 12.09.2025). (In Russ.)
Ovcharenko, E. S. and Fefelova, V. V. (2014) Physical development of children with impaired motor activity. Byulleten’ Severnogo gosudarstvennogo meditsinskogo universiteta, no. 1 (32), pp. 63–64. (In Russ.)
Oorzhak, L. N. (2012) The problem of adolescent suicide in the Republic of Tuva. Vestnik Tuvinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Pedagogicheskie nauki, no. 4 (15), pp. 31–36. (In Russ.)
Permyakova, E. Yu., Batsevich, V. A., Krasilnikova, V. A., Zimina, S. N. and Khafizova, A. A. (2022) Comparison of morphofunctional adaptation of university youth in Kyzyl and Moscow (in different ethno-ecological conditions). New Research of Tuva, no. 1, pp. 237–252. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2022.1.16
Piruzian, L. A., Gyul’azizova, K. S. and Nikolaeva, I. S. (2009) Study of the relationship between suicide mortality and the NAT2 phenotype and geographical coordinates of various ethnic populations of the world. Tekhnologii zhivykh sistem, no. 8, pp. 33–45. (In Russ.)
Piruzian, L. A., Nikolaeva, I. S., Gyul’azizova, K. S., Kabankin, A. S., Sintsov, A. V., Radkevich, D. A. and Radkevich, L. A. (2011) Polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and suicide. Tekhnologii zhivykh sistem, vol. 8, no. 8, pp. 56–62. (In Russ.)
Popov, V. I., Ushakov, I. B., Levushkin, S. P., Zhukov, O. F. and Skoblina, N. A. (2022) Long-term dynamics of physical development of children in Russia. Ekologiya cheloveka, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 119–128. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/humeco96734
Poretskova, G. Yu., Gavryushin, M. Yu., Pechkurov, D. V. and Sazonova, O. V. (2018) Physical development of children with chronic pathology. Meditsinskiy al’manakh, no. 3 (54), pp. 45–47. (In Russ.)
Razvarina, I. N. and Gruzdeva, M. A. (2019) Health of school-age children: risk factors. Society and Security Insights, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 115–120. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14258/ssi(2019)4-10
Sanchat, N. O. and Omzar, O. S. (2022) Index assessment of physical development of children in the Republic of Tuva. Children’s medicine of the North-West, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 63–66. (In Russ.)
Sanchat, N. O., Kurganskaya, T. M. and Gritsinskaya, V. L. (2024) Assessment and self-assessment of physical development in senior schoolchildren in the Republic of Tuva. Children’s Medicine of the North-West, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 182–191. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.56871/CmN-W.2024.25.29.015
Sanchat, N. O. and Gogolev, A. V. (2023) Individual-typological status and functional capabilities of urban high school students in the Republic of Tuva. Meditsina: teoriya i praktika, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 25–30. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.56871/MTP.2023.80.66.004
Semenova, N. B. and Manchuk, V. T. (2007) Nature of intellectual deficit under severe iodine deficiency. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii im. S. S. Korsakova, vol. 107, no. 4, pp. 59–63. (In Russ.)
Semenova, N. B. (2017) Causes of suicidal behavior among indigenous peoples of Siberia: the change of traditional lifestyle. Suicidologiya, vol. 8, no. 4 (29), pp. 31–43. (In Russ.)
Semenova, N. B. (2018) Suicidal behavior in children and adolescents of the indigenous peoples of Siberia: social risk factors. Suicidologiya, vol. 9, no. 4 (33), pp. 3–16. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.32878/suiciderus.18-09-04(33)-3-16
Troshina, E. A., Mazurina, N. V., Senyushkina, E. S., Makolina, N. P., Galieva, M. O., Nikankina, L. V., Malysheva, N. M., Darzhaa, A. B. and Sengi, Yu. S. (2021) Monitoring the effectiveness of a program for the prevention of iodine deficiency-related diseases in the Republic of Tuva. Problemy endokrinologii, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 60–68. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14341/probl12715
Kharrasov, A. F. and Saryg, S. K. (2021) Study of certain anthropological features of residents of Tuva from different climatic zones. International Journal of Professional Science, no. 11, pp. 74–81. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.54092/25421085_2021_11_74
Khol’shina, M. A. and Kylgydai, A. K. Ch. (2014) On the medical and demographic problems of the population of the Republic of Tuva. Vestnik Voronezhskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Geografiya. Geoekologiya, no. 2, pp. 65–67. (In Russ.)
Khomyakova, I. A. and Balinova, N. V. (2017) Anthropological research in Tuva and Northern Mongolia: Tuvans, Tuvans-Todzhins, Tsaatans. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 23: Antropologiya, no. 2, pp. 12–25. (In Russ.)
Alcaide M., A., Mayerl, S. (2023) Local thyroid hormone action in brain development. International journal of molecular sciences, vol. 24 (15), article 12352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24151235
Barros, N., Tulve, N. S., Heggem, D. T. and Bailey, K. (2018) Review of built and natural environment stressors impacting American-Indian/Alaska-Native children. Reviews on Environmental Health, vol. 33, issue 4, pp. 349–381. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2018-0034
Danubio, M. E. and Sanna, E. (2008) Secular changes in human biological variables in Western Countries: an updated review and synthesis. Journal of Anthropological Sciences, vol. 86, pp. 91–112.
Echavarría-Ramírez, L. M. and Tirapu-Ustárroz, J. (2021) Neuropsychological examination in children with intellectual disabilities. Revista de Neurología, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 66–76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33588/rn.7302.2021025
Eickmann, S. H., Emond, A. M. and Lima, M. (2016) Evaluation of child development: beyond the neuromotor aspect. Jornal de Pediatria, vol. 92, issue 3, supplement 1, pp. 71–83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2016.01.007
Fetene, D. M., Betts, K. S. and Alati, R. (2017) Mechanisms in endocrinology: Maternal thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy and behavioural and psychiatric disorders of children: a systematic review. European Journal of Endocrinology, vol. 177, no. 5, pp. 261–273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/EJE-16-0860
Gautam, N., Dessie, G., Rahman, M. M. and Khanam, R. (2023) Socioeconomic status and health behavior in children and adolescents: a systematic literature review. Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 11, article 1228632. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1228632
Konner, M. (2010) The evolution of childhood: Relationships, emotion, mind. Harvard University Press. 960 p.
Kołodziej, H., Łopuszka, M. and Lipowicz, A. (2015) Secular trends in body height and body mass in 19-year-old polish men based on six national surveys from 1965 to 2010. American Journal of Human Biology, no. 27, pp. 704–709.
Kolset, S. O. (2020) Intellectual disability and nutrition-related health. EMBO Molecular Medicine, vol. 12, no. 10, article e12899. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.202012899
López Galera, R. M., Castiñeiras Ramos, D. and Rocha, H. (2021) Neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism. Revista Espanola de Salud Publica, vol. 95, article e202101010. (In Esp.).
Miguel, P. M., Pereira, L. O., Silveira, P. P. and Meaney, M. J. (2019) Early environmental influences on the development of children's brain structure and function. Developmental medicine and child neurology, vol. 61, no. 10, pp. 1127–1133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14182
Schiera, G., Di Liegro, C. M. and Di Liegro, I. (2021) Involvement of thyroid hormones in brain development and cancer. Cancers, vol. 13, no. 11, article 2693. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13112693
Vasconcellos, A. C. S., Barrocas, P. R. G., Ruiz, C. M. V., Mourão, D. S. and Hacon, S. S. (2018) Burden of mild mental retardation attributed to prenatal methylmercury exposure in amazon: local and regional estimates. Ciencia & saude coletiva, vol. 23, no. 11, pp. 3535–3545. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-812320182311.15812016
Whitesell, N. R., Howley, C. T., Asdigian, N. L., Clifford, C., Senehi, N. and Sarche, M. (2022) Tribal early childhood research center peds community of learning. Community perspectives on developmental screening of American Indian and Alaska native children. Infant Mental Health Journal, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 558–575. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21992
Yang, W., Liang, X. and Sit, C. H. (2022) Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: a meta-analysis using the RE-AIM framework. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01312-1
Yokoya, M. and Higuchi, Y. (2019) Day length may make geographical difference in body size and proportions: An ecological analysis of Japanese children and adolescents. PloS One, vol. 14, no. 1, article P.e0210265. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210265
Zhou, B., Chen, Y., Cai, W. Q., Liu, L. and Hu, X. J. (2020) Effect of gestational weight gain on associations between maternal thyroid hormones and birth outcomes. Frontiers in Endocrinology, no. 11, article 610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2020.00610
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
Smirnova O. V., Ovcharenko E. S. and Kasparov E. V. Ethnic characteristics of physical and mental development of children, adolescents and youth in the Republic of Tuva (literature review). New Research of Tuva, 2026, no. 3, pp. 146-165. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.3.10
Author Biographies
-
Olga V. Smirnova Institute of Medical Problems of the North, Krasnoyarsk Science Center, SB RAS
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head, Laboratory of Clinical Pathophysiology, Scientific Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North, FRC KSC SB RAS.
Postal address: 3G Partisana Zeleznyaka St., 660022, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.
E-mail: ovsmirnova71@mail.ru
-
Elizaveta S. Ovcharenko Institute of Medical Problems of the North, Krasnoyarsk Science Center, SB RAS
Candidate of Biological Sciences, Senior Research, Laboratory of Clinical Pathophysiology, Scientific Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North, FRC KSC SB RAS.
Postal address: 3G Partisana Zeleznyaka St., 660022, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.
E-mail: sci.work@mail.ru
-
Eduard V. Kasparov Institute of Medical Problems of the North, Krasnoyarsk Science Center, SB RAS
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Director, Scientific Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North, FRC KSC SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk.
Postal address: 3G Partisana Zeleznyaka St., 660022, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.
E-mail: clinic@impn.ru
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Author(s) license holder(s) grant rights for their work to the journal (grantee of a license) under the simple non-exclusive open license in accordance with Art. 1286.1 «Open license for a research work, work of literature or fine arts», Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
New Research of Tuva publishes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license (CC BY-NC).
Since it is an open license, author(s) reserve the right to upload the article to their institutional repository, submit it to another journal (if it allows republications), or republish it on their own website (in full, or in part).
However, several conditions apply here:
a) The republished version must always contain the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s), the original title and the hyperlink to the original version on the New Research of Tuva website;
b) It must be in open access, free of charge, and no category of readers must be in any way whatsoever advantaged over general readership.
c) should the contribution be submitted elsewhere by its author(s) without substantial modification (30% or more of original text unchanged), the body of the article should contain a disclaimer that the original version was published in New Research of Tuva (with a link to the respective page)
The CC-BY-NC is a non-revocable license which applies worldwide and lasts for the duration of the work’s copyright.
