Dr.Hab., Associate Professor M.D. Kudryavtsev^{1, 2}
Associate Professor I.E. Kramida²
PhD, Associate Professor A.Yu. Osipov^{1, 3
1}Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk
²Siberian State Aerospace University, Krasnoyarsk
³Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after prof. V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk

Keywords: students, monitor habits, Internet, computer games, TV, anime, healthy lifestyle.

Introduction. It is safe to assume that one of the key causes of unhealthy lifestyle of modern students is the overwhelming informatization and computerization of all spheres of human activity. If this problem is unresolved, it can lead to the future deterioration of health, and consequently, to the significant decrease of motor activity of youth. There is an urgent need to elaborate and implement the concepts of structure and content of extracurricular recreational training sessions for university students [2].

Due to high risk of computer dependency in particular and monitor bad habits in general, to health of our future generation, one of the key orientations of university physical education teachers should be prevention of such habits. In fact, students spend the time that could be allocated for sports activities  in front of the monitor. Once again, healthy lifestyle has a very serious opponent (computer), which should and has to be conquered by means of physical education and sport.

Along with the relevance to form in Russia the foundations of the information-oriented society and enhance the use of information technologies, addressing the problems emerging within this framework, prompt to study cognitive and personal innovations, arising in a new information context [1] and identify the specifics of computer and other monitor screen devices ( TV, laptop etc.) influence on cognitive, emotional and personal qualities of students.

Life-purpose orientations of most boys dependent on computer or TV are largely transformed compared to students not highly engaged in computer technologies. Availability of various forms of monitor dependencies has the leading position among the variety of reasons hindering professional development of future specialists. The Internet acts as a real factor compromising mental health of youth. In the West, the problem of Internet addiction has been acknowledged and is currently under study.

Diagnostics of degree of students’ ”infection” by bad habits to continuously interact with the electronic devices impresses and strikes with its “epidemical” range. The study of the Internet dependence, absorption in computer games of modern youth determines new features of emotional-volitional, motivational and communicative spheres of the individual of the given social group with the annual increase of the rate and number of students with this kind of monitor dependence.

A variety of reasons hindering professional development of future specialists, availability of various forms of monitor dependency are associated with the considerable use of computer information technologies in the modern university learning. There are dangerous implications of monitor habits for the formation of a stable unhealthy lifestyle of young people. Visual deterioration, hypodynamia, reduced working capacity take place [3].

Objective of the research was to carry out a sociological analysis of prevalence of monitor habits among university students.

Methods and structure of the study. Monitor habits include: watching TV programs (news, shows, concerts, movies etc.); computer games; search on the Internet and contacts in social networks (in excess of needed for study, work or creativity); watching anime, manga etc.

1-3 year students of Krasnoyarsk engaged in physical education through “Physical Education” university classes for the main health group of students with different levels of computer and monitor dependencies were subject to the study. The students were to indicate a daily number of hours they usually spend for the activities related to basic monitor habits. In total, 735 boys and 408 girls of 1 – 3 years of study were surveyed.

Results and discussion. The main findings of the mathematical processing of the students’ survey data are given in Table 1. Contact with the monitor can be considered dangerous to health if it lasts more than two hours a day without a break. However, if a person spends over four hours a day for a monitor habit, there is a high chance to become dependent and if he sets a goal to give it up, it will be extremely difficult to achieve it.

Table 1. Distribution of students based on time consumption (hours per day) for monitor habits

The survey of 1-3 year students of SibSAU (SibGAU) at the end of the academic year showed that the most widespread habits among them are spending time on the Internet and watching TV. Prevalence of the Internet habit does not depend on duration of university studies for both boys and girls (the difference in percentage is insignificant).

Prevalence of the TV habit is due to the non-linear duration of university education: among 2^nd year male and female students it is lower than among 1^st and 3^rd year students (difference in percentage is significant), but still it is high (80% among boys and 88% among girls). This habit is more typical for girls, than for boys of all years of study. The habit of playing computer games prevails among boys. If the prevalence of this habit among girls is slightly connected with the university training duration (but still it is high, every second girl plays computer games), then its prevalence among boys increases during the first 3 years of university studies (difference is significant for all three courses). Moreover, it is much higher than among girls. Prevalence of watching anime, manga etc. habit is significantly lower than that of the other monitor habits. However, it grows with the increase of university training duration among male students as well as female (the difference between the groups of 1^st and 3^rd year students is significant).

Both boys and girls studying in the university in any of the first three courses, on the average, possess 3 monitor habits. Considering the prevalence of various monitor habits, most likely an average student of either sex is bound to the Internet, TV and computer games. At the end of the 1^st year of study he who has these habits, spends on them in total: boy 5,9 ± 0,3 hours, girl 5,9 ± 0,4 hours a day    (considering the average time for those who have this habit, this data is not given in Table 1), at the end of the second year of study: boy – 5,6 ± 0,5 hours, girl – 5,2 ± 0,5 hours, at the end of third year: boy – 4,7 ± 0,3 hours, girl – 5,1 ± 0,4 hours a day. Both boys and girls appear to spend less time on the most common monitor habits in the course of university education (difference between in the 1^st and 3^rd year data is significant), but still these indicators are too high. The total time spent for all monitor habits by the average student of both sexes taking into account that some students may not have any of these habits, is slightly lower (as reported in Table 1), yet it amounts to more than 4,5 hours per day.

Thus, a “statistically average” 1-3 year student, boy or girl, possesses monitor habits during university studies and spends most of his free time in front of the monitor, which is bad for his health. Since both girls and boys devote over four hours at the average to the monitor habits, there is a high possibility for dependence, which can be generally called “monitor”.

Every third most common monitor habit (Internet, TV, computer games) takes up more than two hours a day of many students. Percentage of such students who have one out of three habits (both boys and girls), decreases with an increase of university training time (difference of data is significant either for the groups including all three courses or – for the first or second years of study). The largest number of such students (both boys and girls) is among those, who tend to spend time on the Internet (in excess of needed for study, work or creative needs). More such people are in the groups of girls, rather than boys (the difference is significant for each year of study). Even though the share of these students levels down by the third year, it is still rather high. More than a half of girls and one third of boys substitute their real life for virtual reality of the Internet for more than 2 hours. The rate of students dedicating over two hours a day to other monitor habits is significantly lower compared to the one spent for the Internet habit. 31% of 2^nd year boys and 18% of first year girls with this habit play computer games for more than two hours a day (percentages of male and female students of other years are significantly lower). Percentage of those who watch TV over two hours each day is higher among girls as compared to boys (difference is significant for all years of study) and the highest rates are in groups of the first year-study (25% girls and 20% boys). Only 5 or less percent of the surveyed students of different years of study (regardless of sex) devote over 2 hours a day to watching anime or manga. However, 19% male and 10% female 2^nd year students spend more than two hours on this habit. Students of other years of study have significantly lower rates. It may point at the growing popularity of this activity; the next year percentage of such students will be higher than now.

Conclusions. The most dangerous dependence-producing habits are as follows: a) spending time on the Internet; b) playing computer games (for boys). 22% of first-year boys with this habit and 30% of girls (every third out of those who have this habit) spend more than four hours a day in the virtual reality of the Internet (more than one needs for study, work, creativity). The percentage of both male and female students of 2^nd and 3^rd years of study is significant, but slightly lower. 16% of second-year students (every sixth) and 8% of first-year female students (approximately every tenth) play computer games for more than 4 hours a day.

The prospects of further research should be aimed at studying the possibility of using specific and appropriate physical education actions in terms of the learning process geared to prevent the risks and consequences of the monitor habit influence on the body and psychological personal attributes of students. 

References

1. Internet-zavisimost' (Internet addiction) / Zavisimosti, substantsionalnyie addiktsii (Addictions, substantial addictions) / J.D. Babaeva, A.E. Voyskunskiy http://parent.fio.ru.
2. Kopyilov Yu.A. Kontseptsiya strukturyi i soderzhaniya ozdorovitelnyih zanyatiy dlya studentov vyisshih uchebnyih zavedeniy (The concept of structure and content of health sessions for university students) / Yu.A. Kopyilov, L.N. Yatskovskaya, M.L. Kudryavtsev et al. // Fizicheskoe vospitanie studentov.–2015. – № 5 – P. 23–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.15561/20755279.2015.0504;
3. Kramida I.E. Monitornyie vrednyie privyichki studentov–pervokursnikov (Monitor bad habits of first-year students) / I.E. Kramida // Sotsialnaya rabota v profilaktike zloupotrebleniya narkoticheskimi sredstvami i reabilitatsii narkozavisimyih: problemyi, resheniya, perspektivyi: sb. mater. mezhdunar. nauch.-prakt. konf. (Social work in prevention of drug abuse and rehabilitation of drug addicts: problems, solutions and prospects: Proc. of Intern. res.-pract. conf). – Makhachkala: DSU pub. h-se, 2014. – P. 113–119

Corresponding author: kumid@yandex.ru

Abstract
The article analyses prevalence of bad habits of continuous use of electronic devices among students. The most dangerous dependence-producing habits are as follows: a) spending time on the Internet; b) playing computer games (for boys). 22% of first-year boys with this habit and 30% of girls (every third out of those who have this habit) spend more than four hours a day in the virtual reality of the Internet (more than they need for study, work, creative needs). The percentages of both 2nd and 3rd year male and female students are significant, but slightly lower. 16% of 2nd year male students (every sixth) and 8% of first-year female students (approximately every tenth) play computer games for more than 4 hours a day. The prospects of further research should be aimed at studying the possibility of using specific and appropriate physical education activities in terms of the learning process targeted at prevention of risks and consequences of the influence of monitor habits on the body and psychological personal attributes of students.