Development of the commitment to a healthy lifestyle in students of rural educational institutions under holding preventive measures at the municipal level

Introduction. Increasing the commitment of minors to a healthy lifestyle in minors is one of the strategic objectives of society. The purpose of the study is to examine the commitment to a healthy lifestyle in rural students based on subjective assessment under holding preventive measures at the municipal level. Materials and methods. Changes in adherence to a healthy lifestyle in the process of carrying out preventive measures were studied based on a survey of six hundred seventeen students in 2015 and 596 in 2022 through a cumulative assessment of the main components of a healthy lifestyle in the author’s version. Results. Along with a significant increase in the proportion of people with high levels of health literacy among 5–8 grade students, the proportion of children who consume fruits and vegetables daily (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.5–0.94) and have physical activity more than 1 hour per day (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.52–0.95), non-smokers, non-drinkers. Against this background, the proportion of children with a high commitment to a healthy lifestyle (6 components formed) increased from 1.54 to 3.98% (p = 0.038), and close to it with 5 components formed from 3.33 to 8.22% (p = 0.038). For 9–11 grade students, these trends are less pronounced. Among children and adolescents with high and close adherence to a healthy lifestyle, there are fewer people with multiple health complaints (p = 0.009; p = 0.007) than in the group with low adherence. Research limitations. In studying the commitment to a healthy lifestyle in rural students, 1213 questionnaires were evaluated, which represents a reference sample, but the study is limited by the age of the students surveyed (grades 5–11), as well as the respondents’ residence in rural areas. Conclusion. In studying the commitment to a healthy lifestyle in rural students, 1213 questionnaires were evaluated, which represents a reference sample, but the study is limited to surveying 5–11 grade students, as well as their residence in rural areas.