Dynamics of social and behavioral health factors among youth in response to wartime conditions

Abstract

Purpose: consists in studying the prevalence of the main social and behavioral risk factors (smoking, alcohol, physical activity, etc.) among students. Materials and methods. The study was conducted in a cross-sectional design using an anonymous online survey using a specially developed questionnaire using Google Forms during May-June 2022. 206 respondents (68 men and 138 women) took part in the survey. Results. The analysis of the respondents’ marital status revealed that 59.7% of respondents were single. 9.3% live alone, there is a significant difference depending on gender: 13.2% in men versus 2.17% in women, p=0.001. 21.3% of respondents smoke, while a significant difference was established between men and women – 32.3% and 15.9%, respectively, p=0.007. In 36–37% of respondents, there is an increase in the intensity of smoking, and the reverse reaction in the form of a refusal or a decrease in the intensity of smoking is greater among women – 29% against 13.5% among men. Analysis of changes in the nature of alcohol consumption against the background of the beginning of the armed conflict: only a small part of the respondents noted an increase in the level of alcohol consumption (8.1% of men and 6.3% of women). Deterioration of sleep quality is noted by 70.8% of respondents (58.8% of men and 76.8% of women), p=0.008. Among men, the main means of “artificial” relaxation is the use of tobacco products (58.82%), while among women, preference is given to the use of medicinal products (72.54%). Conclusions. As can be seen from the results, the issue of smoking and the use of sedatives among students needs special attention.