ASSESSMENT OF THE MAIN MORPHOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL INDICATORS OF NEWBORN CHILDREN LIVING IN THE AREA EXPOSED TO RADIATION AS A RESULT OF THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

Abstract

In order to study the influence of the radiation factor on the variability of morphofunctional indicators of newborn children at different time periods before and after the Chernobyl accident, a study was conducted, the material for which was data from 3628 histories of childbirth and development of newborns in maternity hospitals of the Belgorod Region for the period from 1984 to 2014. To clarify the relationship of individual signs of newborns with radiation exposure in the area of birth and residence of the mother, analysis of variance followed by multiple comparisons according to Scheffe, as well as the multidimensional scaling method were used. The results of the study revealed significant group differences in the main morphological and functional indicators of newborns depending on the year of birth and the degree of radiation load in the mother’s region of residence, which indicates the effect of an increased level of radiation load on the body of newborn children.