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.