Daily nutrition practices of student youth in the Saratov region (based on the results of sociological screening)

Introduction. The article is aimed at analyzing the process of youth using knowledge about a healthy lifestyle in everyday choices and actions. The study identified potential medical and social risks and comprehended the causes of self-destructive behavior in relation to health. The data obtained can be useful in preventive and information-educational work. The purpose of the study: studying the readiness of student youth to daily conscious reproduction of healthy lifestyle patterns (proper nutrition, weight control) that prevent health risks. Materials and methods. The thematic analysis of publications and studies was carried out; statistical (secondary data analysis), sociological (online questionnaires and blitz surveys) and analytical (interpretation of research results) methods were applied in the article. The empirical basis of the study was the author’s original sociological screening of student youth, which covered 4 age groups: 18–20 years old (5014 respondents); 21–25 years old (944 respondents); 26–30 years old (158 respondents); 31–35 years old (22 respondents) and took place from February to October 2023. Results. The most harmful food habits of student youth were recorded: overeating (10.8%); malnutrition (6.7%), the reasons for which are lack of time (39.4%), desire to lose weight (21.4%); eating 1–2 times a day (37.6%); 30.2% eat wherever they can; consumption of fast food (78.8%) and energy drinks (52%), which are prerequisites for excess body weight. The boundaries of a potential risk group (44.1%) with different variations of body weight deviations (both in the direction of overweight and underweight) were determined. Conclusion. In the course of the comprehensive study it was found that the theoretical level of health risk control of the studied population group is at a sufficiently high level. However, in everyday practice (de facto) we are faced with self-destructive behavior, which leads to devaluation of available knowledge, increased health risks and additional medical and social attention. 

1. Razina A.О., Runenko S. D., Achkasov E. Е. Obesity: current global and Russian trends. Vestnik Rossiyskoy Akademii Meditsinskikh Nauk. 2016;71(2):154–159. (In Russ.) doi: 10.15690/vramn655

2. Aleksandrova Yu.D., Kolosnitsyna M. G. Overweight population in Russia: statistical analysis. Voprosy Statistiki. 2018;25(10):61–77. (In Russ.) Accessed: January 12, 2022. https://voprstat.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/776

3. Ortiz C., López-Cuadrado T., Rodríguez-Blázquez C. et al. Physical and social environmental factors related to co-occurrence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Health & Place. 2022;75:102804. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102804

4. Chrissini М.K., Panagiotakos D. B. Public health interventions tackling childhood obesity at European level: A literature review. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2022;30:102068. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102068

5. Panda P., Ayyanar R., Boyanagari V. K. Burden and cost of overweight and obesity in south India public health system. Obesity Medicine. 2019;13:55–58. doi.10.1016/j.obmed.2019.01.004

6. Nianogo R.A., Arah O. A. Impact of Public Health Interventions on Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention: A Simulation Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2018;55(6):795–802. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.07.014

7. Bray I., Slater A., Lewis-Smith H. et al. Promoting positive body image and tackling overweight/obesity in children and adolescents: A combined health psychology and public health approach. Preventive Medicine. 2018;116:219– 221. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.08.011

8. Byers T., Sedjo R. L. Public Health Response to the Obesity Epidemic: Too Soon or Too Late? The Journal of Nutrition. 2007;137(2):488–492. doi: 10.1093/jn/137.2.488

9. Mikhailova O. R. Obesity as a moral panic: thematic analysis of theoretical and empirical publications in temporal perspective. Zhurnal issledovanii sotsial’noi politiki. 2023;21 (1):175–186. (In Russ.) doi: 10.17323/727-0634-2023-21-1-175-186

10. Steele M., Mialon M., Browne S. et al. Obesity, public health ethics and the nanny state. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health. 2021;19:2352–5525. doi:10.1016/j.jemep.2021.100724

11. Gairbekov M.M., Bazayeva F. U. Problems of forming the need for a healthy lifestyle in student youth. Mir nauki, kul’tury, obrazovaniya. 2019; 5(78):210–211(In Russ.) Accessed November 22, 2023. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/problemy-formirovaniya-potrebnosti-v-zdorovom-obraze-zhizni-u-studencheskoy-molodyozhi

12. Tunc G.C., Bilgin N. C., Cerit B. The Relationship Between International Students’ Health Perceptions and Their Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors. Journal of Religion and Health. 2021;60(6):4331–4344. doi:10.1007/s10943-021-01336-0

13. Sviridova I.A., Kovtun L. O. Readiness of student youth to preserve and strengthen health. Professional’noe obrazovanie v Rossii i za rubezhom. 2014;13:55–59 (In Russ.) Accessed December 24, 2023. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/gotovnost-studencheskoy-molodezhi-k-sohraneniyu-i-ukrepleniyu-zdorovya

14. Moskovchenko O.N., Kattsin O. A. Model of orientation of university students to the formation of a healthy lifestyle. Vestnik KemGU. 2013;3(55):90–94 (In Russ.) Accessed: November 22, 2023. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/model-orientirovaniya-studenta-vuza-na-formirovaniezdorovogo-obraza-zhizni

15. Perminova M.S., Pereselkova Z.Yu. To the question of forming a healthy lifestyle of student youth (on the example of Orenburg State University). Izv. Sarat. un-ta. Nov. ser. Ser. Sotsiologiya. Politologiya. 2018;18(1): 30–36. (In Russ.) doi: 10.18500/1818-9601-2018-18-1-30-36

16. Fedotov B. V. Ideology of healthy lifestyle in modern Russia. Professional’noe obrazovanie v sovremennom mire. 2020;10(1):3620–3632. (In Russ.) doi: 10.15372/PEMW20200125

17. Denisova G. S. Dependence of body weight of students of special department of Altai State University on the nature of nutrition and optimal level of motor activity. Zdorov’e cheloveka, teoriya i metodika fizicheskoi kul’tury i sporta. 2019;1(12):127–152. (In Russ.) Accessed: December 22, 2023. http://journal.asu.ru/index.php/zosh

18. Gureev S.A., Mingazova E. N. Features of the main anthropometric indicators of physical development of students. Manager Zdravoohranenia. 2022; 4:45–49. (In Russ.) doi: 10.21045/1811-0185-2022-4-45-49

19. Pokida A.N., Zybunovskaya N.V. Food culture of the Russian population: Results of a sociological survey. Zdorov’e Naseleniya i Sreda Obitaniya. 2022;30(2):13–22. (In Russ.) doi: 10.35627/2219–5238/2022-30-2-13-22

20. Frolova O.A., Tafeeva E. A., Lyadova I. V. Body mass Index as an indicator that forms the quality of life of women of working age. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2019; 59 (9). (In Russ.) doi: 10.31089/1026-9428-2019-59-9-796-797

21. Pokida A.N., Zybunovskaya N. V. Differences in behavioral practices of health maintenance and promotion between knowledge and manual workers. Zdorov’e Naseleniya i Sreda Obitaniya. 2022;30(9):18–28. (In Russ.) doi: https://doi.org/10.35627/2219–5238/2022-30-9-18-28

22. Yadov V.A. Self-regulation and forecasting of social behavior of the individual: Dispositional concept. 2nd Expanded Edition. Moscow, TsSPiM Publ., 2013. – 376 p. (In Russ.) Accessed: June 19, 2024: https://publications.hse.ru/mirror/pubs/share/folder/8jlz9e6zjk/direct/97145776

23. Antonova N.L., Abramova S. B., Lopatina V. R. Healthy body as a normative model in the perceptions of student youth. Obrazovanie i nauka. 2023;25(5): 155–175. (In Russ.) doi: 10.17853/1994-5639-2023-5-155-175

24. Dyomkina E.V., Shebanets E.Yu., Paatova M. E. Socio-pedagogical prevention of vaping addiction amongst the youth. Vestnik Adygeyskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta. Ser.: Pedagogy and Psychology. 2023;(3(323)):15–23. (In Russ.) doi: 10.53598/2410-3004-2023-3-323-15-23

25. Gorbachev D. O. Hygienic assessment of health risks of able-bodied population caused by nutrition. Zdorov’e Naseleniya i Sreda Obitaniya. 2019;(9):33–39. (In Russ.) doi: 10.35627/2219-5238/2019-318-9-33-39

26. Ermolaeva P.O., Noskova E. P. The main trends in the healthy lifestyle of Russians. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya. 2015;4:120–129. (In Russ.) Accessed December 22, 2023. http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2015/0647/analit02.php

27. Skliarova T.V., Yakhina R. R., Kurlova E. B. Competence of HLS: new practices of formation (experience of the regional network medical and social project). Public health. 2023; 3(1):51–60. (In Russ.) doi: 10.21045/2782-1676-2023-3-1-51-60

28. Abramov R.N., Bykov A. V. Professional ethics as an object of sociological research: between sociology of morals and sociology of professions. Vestnik RUDN. Seriya: Sotsiologiya. 2018:18(4);747–764 (In Russ.) Accessed: March 22, 2024: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/professionalnaya-etika-kak-obekt-sotsiologicheskogo-issledovaniya-mezhdu-sotsiologiey-morali-i-sotsiologiey-professiy

29. Kravchenko E. I. Theory of social action: from M. Weber to phenomenologists. Sotsiologicheskii zhurnal. 2001;3:122–143. (In Russ.) Accessed: December 18, 2023. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/teoriya-sotsialnogo-deystviya-ot-maksa-vebera-k-fenomenologam

30. Weber M. Basic Sociological Concepts. M. I. Levina. Weber M. Selected Works. M.: Progress, 1990. 31. Gordeeva S. S. Essence and structure of social attitudes in sociology and social psychology // Perm University Herald. Series «Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology». 2016;3(27):135–140. (In Russ.) doi: 10.17072/2078–7898/2016-3-135-140

31. Fadeev P. V. Understanding of social installation in various scientific disciplines. Teoriya i praktika obshchestvennogo razvitiya. 2013;8:108–109. (In Russ.) Accessed: June 19, 2024: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/ponimanie-sotsialnoy-ustanovki-v-razlichnyh-nauchnyh-distsiplinah

32. Horkheimer M. Dialectics of Enlightenment. Philosophical Fragments. [Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno] / Transl. from German. M. Kuznetsov. – Moscow; St. Petersburg: Medium, Juventa, 1997. (In Russ.) Accessed: December 20, 2023. https://gtmarket.ru/library/basis/5521