Functional Indicators of the Quality of Life of Students in the City of Tyumen

Abstract

Ideas about the quality of life develop in accordance with the tasks of research practice, and there is no unambiguous interpretation of this phenomenon. In medicine, clinical studies on patients’ quality of life are widely represented. However, the question of the quality of life in young healthy respondents remains open and relevant. The purpose of this research was to study the quality of life of healthy male and female students of a technical college. Materials and methods. The study involved 68 female and 55 male subjects studying at the Multidisciplinary College, Industrial University of Tyumen. Their quality of life was assessed according to the processed results of the SF-36 questionnaire. Results. In all groups of subjects, physical functioning had the highest score among other physical indicators of the quality of life. No significant gender-related differences were revealed. The rest of the indicators were 15–26 % lower compared with the maximum score. With regard to mental health indicators, social functioning had the highest score, although it was 19 % lower than the maximum score; the other indicators were 21–31 % lower as well. The study revealed age-related changes in quality-of-life indicators of students. At the moment, there is no information available on the reasons why at 18 years of age all the scores decrease, with the exception of role functioning. This remains to be clarified in the longitudinal study that is now being conducted at the university. Based on the survey data, we point out several reasons behind the reduction in students’ adaptive capabilities: imbalanced diet, positive attitude towards alcohol, and positive attitude towards smoking. Only 11 female and 2 male respondents maintain a healthy lifestyle; the majority of the subjects tend to decrease their motor activity during the academic year.