The level of mental and physical health of medical students: risk factors, stress, and possible ways to optimize physical education disciplines at the university to offset this issue

The article presents a study of the level of psychophysical health of medical university students. The study was conducted among 150 students in grades 2-6 using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), a weekly self-observation diary, and semi-structured interviews. The data obtained showed that 34% of respondents have a high level of stress, and another 41% have an average level. The main causes of mental stress were academic workload, clinical practices, lack of time for rest and the emotional impact of patients. The analysis of the physical condition revealed negative trends: only 33% exercise regularly, 44% suffer from lack of sleep, 68% reported an unbalanced diet. There was also a low level of visits to psychologists (23%), which indicates the presence of stigma and lack of support. In conclusion, possible ways of optimizing the educational process are proposed in the context of physical education and the formation of a health culture at a medical university.