PhD, Associate Professor V.A. Kuvanov¹
E.N. Korostelev^1
1National Mineral Resources (Mining) University, St. Petersburg

Keywords: healthy lifestyle, students, valueological competency.

Background. Issues of healthy lifestyle promotion in academic communities have been increasingly addressed in many study reports lately albeit subject to the latter were mostly students of universities of humanities that lack valueological disciplines in their curricula. It should be noted that most of the modern researchers are concerned about the catastrophic sag of the students’ health standards as verified by the regular medical examinations reporting around 75% of the national student population being diagnosed with chronic diseases [2]. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that the increasingly challenging life conditions require people fully mobilise and develop physical and mental resources and qualities based on good health standards [3]. The academic period is commonly known to be particularly sensitive to a variety of impacts as it is the age when individual values are put in system and fully formed; and this is the reason why this age is so favourable for the activities geared to prevent potential diseases and bad habits in future [1].

Objective of the study was to survey technical university students to analyse their awareness of healthy lifestyles and rate the relevant values.

Methods and structure of the study. The questionnaire survey of a random sample was performed using a standard survey form, with 60 students of National Mineral Resources (Mining) University of different age and courses being subject to the survey in the academic year of 2016.

Study results and discussion. The survey data and analysis showed the technical university students having quite inconsistent and unclear knowledge and limited interpretations of the modern healthy lifestyles. A special emphasis in the survey was made on those healthy lifestyle elements that are more or less actively practiced by the respondents.

The survey found the respondents giving a highest priority to the following actually practiced healthy lifestyle elements: physical activity; no bad habits; and healthy diet. It should be noted that the respondents have rated their own physical activity high albeit we actually rated it low enough versus the commonly accepted intensity levels. The preferred reported physical activities were found gender-specific with the female respondents favouring fitness, swimming, callisthenics and dancing versus the male respondents who gave the top priority to jogging, pull-ups on a horizontal bar and swimming. The reported preference rates of the other two healthy lifestyle elements (no bad habits and healthy diet) varied around the average level, with the relevant practices being mostly rated as “occasional”: see Table 1.

Table 1. Healthy lifestyle elements practiced by the respondents, reported preference rates

The questionnaire survey data showed that the students reasonably favour a few healthy lifestyle elements like healthy sleep, walking and healthy life regime albeit most of these elements are reportedly seldom applied. Many healthy lifestyle elements including self-control, active recreation, picnics and, surprisingly, hygienic habits are reportedly least popular among the respondents. It should also be noted that some healthy lifestyle elements like body tempering and health monitoring were not reported at all. On the whole, the technical university students reported very moderate to low adherence to healthy lifestyle, although the survey data need to be further clarified.

One of the questions in the survey form was Whether or not your family holds on to a healthy lifestyle, with the following breakdown of responses: 65% yes, they do; 13.8% rather yes than not; 3.4% yes, partially; 3.4% not always; 3.5%  rather not; and 13.7% no they don’t. Therefore, most of the respondents’ families are reportedly prone to a healthy lifestyle albeit we should bear in mind that there might be an effect of wishful thinking in the responses as some students could be shy to confess (even on a condition of anonymity) that their families actually neglect healthy lifestyles.

One more question in the survey form was Do you know what is valueology as a study discipline, with the following breakdown of responses: 76.7% said no; and 23.3% yes; that means that most of the respondents are aware to a degree of valueology and this knowledge cannot but influences their attitudes to a healthy lifestyle and familiarity with the latter.

The respondents reported to have obtained the healthy lifestyle related information from the following sources: 15.4% from their families; 1.8% - teachers; 7.4% - mass media; 9.5% - friends and acquaintances; 5.4% - medical personnel; 3.7% - special literature; and 48.2% - Internet sources. This means that websites dominate among the sources of information about healthy lifestyles although the students appear to be little concerned about the quality and trustworthiness of such information. Special literature and academic staff members were reported among the least frequent sources of information about healthy lifestyles that means that the technical university faculties tend to ignore the young peoples’ need for valueological competency.

The question Do you feel information about healthy lifestyles needs to be obtained in the academic period was responded positively by 75.7% of the students polled. And dominating in responses (85.7%) to the question What academic discipline, in your opinion, should take the lead in the healthy lifestyle basics mastering training was the Physical Education discipline.

Conclusion. The questionnaire survey data and analysis showed the technical university students having quite inconsistent and unclear knowledge and limited interpretations of the modern healthy lifestyles, with the elementary reported adherence rates being low enough. Most of the technical university students surveyed showed low valueological competency, with Internet reportedly dominating among the key sources of information on the subject. The study demonstrated the need for the modern healthy lifestyles and their key elements being duly delivered within the frame of the academic process in general and Physical Education discipline in particular.

References

1. Dobrotvorskaya S.G. Proektirovanie i realizatsiya sistemy pedagogicheskoy orientatsii studentov na zdorovy obraz zhizni. Avtoref. dis. dokt. ped. nauk [Design and implementation of system of pedagogical orientation of students to healthy lifestyle. Doctoral diss. abstract (Hab.)]. Kazan, 2003, 42 p.
2. Meleshkova N.A. Formirovanie zdorovogo obraza zhizni studentov vuza v protsesse fizicheskogo vospitaniya. Avtoref. dis. kand. ped. nauk [University students' healthy living promotion in physical education process. PhD diss. abstract]. Kemerovo, 2005, 21 p.
3. Ovchinnikov S.A. Fizicheskaya kultura lichnosti kak vedushchiy faktor v sisteme formirovaniya zdorovogo obraza zhizni studenta. Avtoref. dis. kand. ped. nauk [Personal physical culture as a kea factor in student's healthy living promotion system. PhD diss. abstract]. Nizhniy Novgorod, 2006, 20 p.

Corresponding author: kuwanov@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to survey technical university students to analyse their awareness of healthy lifestyles and rate the relevant values. The formal questionnaire survey was performed on a random sampling basis in 2016. Subject to the survey were 60 full-time students of National Mining University of both sexes sampled from different courses. The survey data and analysis showed the technical university students having quite inconsistent and unclear knowledge and limited interpretations of the modern healthy lifestyles. The respondents were also found to seldom apply a few commonly known elements of healthy lifestyles, and most of them showed little if any valueological competency. When the students showed some awareness of healthy lifestyles, the knowledge was found mostly obtained from the Internet sources. The study demonstrated the need for the modern healthy lifestyles and their components being duly delivered within the frame of the academic process in general and Physical Education discipline in particular.