Features of the integral (somatic, mental, spiritual) health of students (a case based on students from Kyiv universities)

Abstract

At the present stage of social development, leading scientists in the field of information technologies have proposed a method of quantifying individual health as the trinity of its physical (somatic), mental and social (spiritual) statuses. Individual health testing should be performed out online on a personal computer using a single software package. Undoubtedly, this cybernetic method in the assessment of the health status will be used widely in the nearest future. However, in our opinion, we should not neglect the simple, affordable, not requiring computer technology, material costs and proven methods. On the basis of many years of researches done by the authors, substantiated methodology and methods for quantifying the level of integral (somatic, mental, spiritual) health of the person as the person are proved. It is advisable to use the express-method developed by us in the pedagogical practice when conducting health-improving trainings in order to self-control the effectiveness of physical loads and can be used in the preventive medicine as a screening test to assess the main components of the human health. The study involved students (boys and girls) 17-21 years of Kyiv Universities, who did not go in for sports (experimental group, n = 626), among them: students of the Faculty of Social Technologies of the Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine" (further University "Ukraine") (n = 163), Faculty of Physical Education and Sports of the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University (n = 235) and the Faculty of Health, Physical Education and Sports of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University (n = 228). The control group consisted of their peers - student athletes (boxers, wrestlers, cyclists, skiers) of the Brovary Higher School of Physical Education (Kyiv region) (N = 75). The analysis of the results of the study showed that the integral health of non-athletes students is assessed as "satisfactory". The athletes-students have the highest level of absolute health. However, if the athletes-students have a high level of integral health indicators, mainly due to an increase in the average values of somatic health indicators and the lower level of spiritual health, then among the non-athletes students, a satisfactory level of health, on the contrary, is mainly achieved due to the higher values of spiritual and mental health indicators and, accordingly, to the lower somatic health indicators. The male and female students of the University "Ukraine" and female students of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University have the highest level of spiritual health indicators.