Dr.Sc.Phil., Professor I.V. Vasilenko¹
Dr.Sc.Soc. O.V. Tkachenko²
¹Volgograd State University, Volgograd
²Volgograd State Medical University, Volgograd

Keywords: physical education, healthy lifestyle, consciousness, health, physical activity, physical activity motivations.

Background. The ongoing social and economic reforms in modern Russia have given a new impetus to the traditional lifestyles and increased the role of money in popular values and priorities, with the growing emphasis rather on the economic well-being – often at sacrifice of mental and physical health. At the same time, the socio-economic and personality progress agendas cannot be successful enough without a reasonable progress in the physical education and health domain. Correlation between individual health and physical activity is commonly acknowledged, with the individual health agendas often manifested in the actual physical culture, activity and body shape/ harmony [1]; whilst an individual physical activity generally depends on the physical and mental health and the social environment on the whole [4].

There are a few approaches to the interpretation of culture on the whole and physical culture in particular. Let us analyze the two key ones for a theoretical and empirical interpretation of the study subject. First, culture is viewed as a specific national/ group/ popular lifestyle element in a specific historical period [5]. As far as physical culture is concerned, it is important to analyze the modern Russians’ physical activity first of all. Second, physical culture may be analyzed as a part of individual consciousness with the relevant mental constructs. Culture from this viewpoint may be interpreted as a system of thinking patterns, sentiments and activity motivations formed in the individual life cycle [7, p. 5, 6]. This physical education study domain makes it possible to rate the individual values and motivations for specific health-prioritizing physical activity forms and physical trainings [2, p. 11]. Despite the abundant supply of the physical education / health and physical activity/ inactivity studies, the effects of specific physical education aspects (mental, social, procedural) on the popular physical activity and physical progress agendas and lifestyles of the modern Russian population are still underexplored.

Objective of the study was to rate and analyze the popular physical education / physical activity agenda in Volgograd and Volzhski (Volgograd Oblast) by a questionnaire survey.

Methods and structure of the study. The popular physical education agenda was rated by a set of physical activity test rates indicative of the individual personality physical progress values, lifestyles and agendas. We run a questionnaire survey to rate the popular physical education versus its theoretical and empirical interpretation: see Table 1.

Table 1. Physical education meaning: theoretical and empirical interpretation

The questionnaire survey designed with a special priority to a formal interview method was run in July 2018 to obtain quantitative data for the physical education rating purposes as provided by study [6, p. 17]. We sampled for the survey 600 residents (47% male and 57% female sample) of Volgograd (n=400) and Volzhsky (n=200) cities, with the sampling error estimated at ± 4.5%. The sample was stratified by the city districts, with every district group sampled proportionate to its size in the total population. Respondent households were then randomly sampled in every district within the relevant quotas.

Results and discussion. The survey found one of five respondents in need of physical education progress and acknowledging the need to find more time for physical activity; while the rest reported having enough time for physical activity albeit actually the time was found short: see Table 2.

Table 2. Responses to the question “Do you assign enough time for physical activity”?

Physical progress is undoubtedly facilitated by a sporting activity, although only one fifth of the respondents reported going in for some sports including outdoor walking and fitness trainings in clubs and sports centers, with about one third of the [sporting] sample going in for the latter see Table 3.

Table 3. Physical activity/ inactivity reported by the sample

50% of the sample reported different physical education practices in their lifestyles. We rated the physical education regularity to find more than a half of the sample reportedly engaged in regular physical education: see Table 4.

Table 4. Physical education regularity survey

Outdoor walking was reported as the most popular form of physical activity – probably due to the Volgograd and Volzhsky residents preferring the most accessible and affordable physical activity that requires no special clothing, accessories or equipment and claiming not too much time. The reported physical activity forms, however, provide no insight into the actual physical education motivations, values and priorities, and they were subject to a special analysis later on. Some analysts rank the physical education motivations as follows: natural need for physical activity; health agenda; physical progress needs; need for communication, etc. [3, p. 98, 99].

Our survey found the local physical activity motivations being specific in some aspects. For example, we found the local residents prone to collective rather than individual physical education – with more than 40% of the sample reporting prepared for a collective physical activity with acquaintance(s). This finding underlines the role of social environment for the physical education / sporting agendas. More than a quarter of the sample reported health physical activity driven by the immunity improvement goals. Ranked third among the physical education motivations was the body shaping agenda reported by one sixth of the sample. 11.0% of the sample reported the physical education driven by the health needs/ conditions – that means that health conditions are not dominant among the physical education motivations – notwithstanding the fact that 35.2% of the sample reported being chronically ill including 29.3% reporting congenital diseases and 70.7% acquired diseases. It should be mentioned that only 21% of the sick subsample mentioned physical inactivity among the reasons for their health conditions.

Based on the questionnaire survey data and analyses, we found most of the sample aware of their health issues and having motivations for physical activity, although still taking no decisive physical activation solutions due to the poor physical education / sporting agendas and shortage of social support, time and/or finance for the physical education / sporting initiatives.

Conclusion. The questionnaire survey data and analyses showed the lifestyles and mental constructs of some regional Russian population groups prioritizing physical activity, although the actual physical activity was reported inadequate and limited mostly by the outdoor walking and occasional physical education practices in sport gyms, and largely motivated by the local social environments.

References

1. Baudrillard J. Body - the most beautiful object of consumption. Consumer society. Myths and structures. M.: Kulturnaya revolyutsiya; Respublika, 2006. pp. 167-193.
2. Gilazieva S.R., Simonenkov V.S. Individual need for physical activity. Vestnik Orenburgskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. 2016. no. 1 (189). pp. 9-15.
3. Drandov G.L., Buttsev V.A., Buttseva E.V. Correlation of human physical and sports culture. Vestnik Chuvashskogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta. 2013. No. 1 (77). v. 2. pp. 96-100.
4. Moss M. Body Techniques. Society. Exchange. Personality. Proceedings of social anthropology. M.: KDU publ., 2011. pp. 167-193.
5. Burke, P. (1994) Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe. Aldershot: Scolar Press.
6. Crane, D., (ed) ()1994) Sociology of Culture. Oxford: Blackwell.
7. Hofstede, G. (1994) Cultures and Organisations (Software of the Mind). U.K.: Harper Collins Rublishers. 

Corresponding author: inna.asilenko@yandex.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to rate and analyze the popular physical education / physical activity agenda in Volgograd and Volzhski (Volgograd Oblast) by a questionnaire survey.

Methods and structure of the study. The study involved the residents of Volgograd (n=400) and Volzhsky (n=200). The sample was stratified by the city districts. The sample size for each stratum was determined in proportion to its size within the general population. Then, within each district, we randomly identified the household, in which we selected the respondents according to the quota. The major method of data collection was a formal questionnaire survey. The respondents' physical fitness level was determined based on the physical activity indicators that determine the potentials for personal development inherent in their way of living and consciousness.

Results and conclusions. The findings indicated a low physical fitness level of the residents of the region, which negatively affects their health, on the one hand, and on the other - a positive trend in the use of such physical activities as walking and setting-up exercises. Most residents are aware of their health issues and having motivations for physical activity, although still taking no decisive physical activation solutions due to the poor physical education / sporting agendas and shortage of social support, time and/or finance for the physical education / sporting initiatives.