This article presents a detailed analysis of practices for caring for physical and psychological health among students. The study aims to describe individual practices and to identify how they combine with each other, forming stable behavioral patterns among students at Russian universities. The empirical base consists of data from a paperbased questionnaire survey of students from three Russian universities (n = 415), conducted in 2024. Frequency and correlation analyses, odds ratio calculations, and cluster analysis were applied to the data. A high prevalence of basic hygienic and social practices was found, while the prevalence of more complex organized forms (prevention, daily routine) was low. Four types of student behavior were identified based on the combination of physical and psychological health care practices: 1) systemic (24%) – characterized by self-discipline that integrates the other practices, but with neglect of preventive visits to doctors and psychologists; 2) active (26%) – focused on active practices (sports and hobbies); 3) supportive (31%) – with a socio-hygienic pattern; 4) passive-defensive (19%) – focused on minimal physical and social hygiene. It is proven that sports activities, self-discipline, and social involvement serve as integrative practices that initiate the process of maintaining physical and psychological health. Students’ behavioral practices are isomorphic: when care for the body is not expressed, there is a high probability of a similar attitude toward psychological well-being. At the same time, some practices can replace others: strict adherence to a daily routine creates an illusion of self-sufficiency and displaces preventive practices. The contribution of this material to the development and updating of the problem lies in the shift from analyzing isolated practices to identifying stable patterns of their interconnection. The practical significance of the article is the empirical substantiation of the need for comprehensive psycho-pedagogical support that takes into account the differentiated nature of students’ health-preserving practices. Recommendations are formulated for university management structures, psychological services, and specialists working with youth.
Amidst the growing academic workload, professional burnout, and aging of academic staff in higher education, the preservation of university teachers’ health has not only social but also managerial significance. At the same time, health-preserving behavior of university teachers remains underexplored as a research object. The aim of the study is to identify key gaps in university teachers’ health-preserving practices: between the value of health and actual behavior, between awareness of preventive measures and participation in them, and between collective and individual needs. Methods. A sociological survey of university teachers at a regional university (n = 192) was conducted using a methodology that included self-assessment of health, lifestyle, awareness of prevention, as well as the identification of barriers and infrastructure deficits. Results. Despite the high subjective significance of health (9–10 points for two-thirds of respondents), regular engagement in preventive activities remains low. Significant gaps were revealed: awareness of preventive measures is substantially higher than actual participation; declared attention to prevention is not accompanied by vaccine adherence; individual needs for preventive measures are lower than collective demands. Key barriers (according to teachers) include time deficit, infrastructure deficits, and insufficient access to sports and recreational services. A monitoring tool is presented that allows systematic recording of gaps in health-preserving behavior. The results can be used by university administrators to prioritize directions when developing measures to improve working conditions and disease prevention among teachers.
The article addresses the issue of considering the psychosocial well-being of students with disabilities as an indicator of the success of management inclusive strategies at universities. This approach does not leave out of the university’s attention zone the condition of students with disabilities, provides diagnostics and control over this condition. Thus, psychosocial well-being can become a management control tool and a comprehensive indicator around which all diagnostic methods used by escort services can be focused. However, control over the psychosocial well-being of students with disabilities is possible only when monitoring is carried out. At the same time, the question is discussed whether the diagnosis of the entire inclusive group is needed or only students with disabilities. Conclusions are made on the basis of an analysis of existing methods and a sociological study conducted in inclusive groups of 10 universities of the Siberian Federal District. In addition, the opinions of 10 experts accompanying students with disabilities in universities are presented and analyzed on the possibility of including diagnostics and control over the psychosocial well-being of special students in the university’s management inclusive strategy. It is proved that turning to the psychosocial well-being of a student with a disability will allow you to get away from formal actions and take into account the subjective factor in management strategies.
The article is devoted to the study of the practices of using digital health technologies by Moscow students and their impact on changing behavior in relation to maintaining health and trust in medical services. In the context of becoming the norm, strategies for combining work and learning and the digital transformation of the educational process, which stimulate increased stress in the academic environment, the values, motivations and barriers that shape the attitude of young people to digital practices and services for monitoring and maintaining health are explored. The purpose of the research is to analyze the level of awareness and prevalence of using digital services and devices, as well as to assess the impact of digital health practices on the actual health and mental well-being of Moscow students and, on this basis, to outline key management tasks for universities in the field of health-saving. Based on the results of a sociological study conducted by the author among students of two levels of education (bachelor’s, specialist, and master’s degrees) at 26 universities in Moscow (N=230), the study confirmed the high level of awareness of digital health maintenance and revealed a high level of involvement in various digital health-saving practices, which were obtained from social media, some of which have a destructive effect on the health of students. The ambivalent attitude of students towards digital services and health-saving technologies has been revealed: expanding the ability to monitor physical and psychological conditions, change lifestyle in favor of a healthy one, and plan different types of activity is associated with additional problems - increased anxiety, a false sense of security and control. Particular risks are caused by an increase in selfmedication practices using artificial intelligence, which not only deepens the negative effects of self-medication at the current moment, but also contributes to the consolidation of negative health maintenance patterns in young audiences without seeking professional medical help. The results of the study highlight the dilemma between the potential of digital tools and the risk of misinformation, offering recommendations for universities in the field of public health.
The article on the materials of the sociological study presents an analysis of the health risks of students living in an autonomous (suburban) university campus with a medical institution on its territory. The new trajectory of the development of Russian universities includes the creation of new autonomous campuses, including those located in the suburban area. Modern campuses serve the development of human capital and act as a point of attraction for young people, teachers, scientists, strengthening their competitive advantages by setting the vector of innovative transformations. The space of the university campus, along with educational buildings, laboratories, dormitories, public places, should include a health-saving infrastructure, among which medical institutions occupy a special place. The article analyzed the infrastructural features of the design and development of modern campuses based on the analysis of documents and visual cartographic reading and determined that medical infrastructure is given little attention in public discourse, which reduces the attractiveness of campuses as health-saving spaces. Based on a survey of students of the Ural Federal University living on campus, the article highlights health risks. First, the risks associated with the ruthinization of selfmedication practices as a tool for health care, and the inclusion of the practice of seeking medical care in a medical institution exclusively in cases of serious deterioration in health. Secondly, the risks associated with a poorly developed information and communication vector for the development of a health-preserving campus environment in terms of the activities of a medical institution. Third, the risks relating to declining confidence in the health care system as a whole. The article proposes recommendations aimed at reducing risks and identifying directions for the further development of the health-preserving environment of autonomous university campuses.
Due to growing concern about student psychological problems and the recognition of mental health as a fundamental factor in overall well-being and academic success, universities are implementing a proactive approach to maintaining mental health on campuses by disseminating knowledge, norms, and cultural models through informal educational channels. To identify key approaches to university mental health educational activities and to describe and systematize the conditions that ensure its sustainability, open data from the websites of 68 universities ranked among the leaders in the University Impact Rankings for 2024 was analysed. For analysis, 125 projects, programs, and regular events were selected that met formal criteria for institutional design, substantive clarity, and informational transparency and represented current concepts of mental health education. Sustainability of knowledge dissemination activities is ensured by the continuity and long-term nature of projects, diversification of funding sources, and the involvement of faculty, researchers, helping professionals, and students in multiple functional positions. Management is predominantly decentralized. The projects are affiliated with academic, research, administrative, and specialized departments, which determines their differences. The primary audience is students, but universities also extend their programs to a broader urban audience. Activities remain focused on raising awareness, relying on mental health literacy programs and psychoeducation, reproducing educational logic in the form of classes and courses, and focusing on information dissemination. Projects and programs that address attitudes and behaviour through stigma reduction, contact education, peer support, and a university-wide approach are significantly less common. The main topics are stress and burnout prevention, healthy lifestyles and physical health, self-knowledge, and personal development. The transition from information to action requires not an increase in knowledge, but a transformation in the principles of educational activities. The results of the analysis are discussed in comparison with practices of Russian universities relevant to international experience and will be useful in developing university-wide policies on mental health and well-being.
The highly stressful educational process in higher education, coupled with external socio-political, socioeconomic, epidemiological, and other risk factors, creates emotional and psychological stress in students, negatively impacting their adaptability, academic engagement, and the quality of their education. The aim of this study was to systematize and describe individual stress coping strategies among students at Russian universities, as well as to identify and evaluate the university environment’s resources that facilitate or hinder successful coping with stressful situations. The empirical basis for the study was a semi-structured survey of undergraduate students at two Russian regional universities—Novosibirsk State Technical University and Perm State National Research University (n=369, fieldwork conducted fall 2025–winter 2026). The authors’ instruments and the abbreviated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were used. An analysis of the survey results revealed three coping strategies: personally-oriented (relying on one’s own resources and proactive actions), socially-oriented (relying on social support and one’s inner circle; typical of students with a high level of adaptation), and addictive (alcohol consumption, stress eating, and medication use; typical of students with high levels of subjectively perceived stress). University resources are poorly integrated into everyday stress prevention/reduction practices. Students’ demand for psychological support within the university is high, especially among first-year students and students with above-average PSS. Recommendations for the development of stress prevention and psychological support systems at universities have been formulated. These recommendations are of practical value for the development of student adaptation programs, healthy lifestyle programs, and the creation of an ecosystem for ensuring the psychological well-being of university students.
The article is devoted to the analysis of HIV infection prevention among students at universities in the Sverdlovsk Region. Theoretically, the work is based on the socio-cognitive theory and models of health-saving literacy, according to which the presence of knowledge does not guarantee automatic changes in behavior without taking into account motivational and environmental factors. The purpose of the study was to analyze existing HIV prevention programs at regional universities and evaluate their effectiveness. The empirical basis of the study was the results of online questionnaires completed by students of 21 universities in Yekaterinburg and the region (N=2300). The study compared the normative, practical, and cognitive levels of implementation of preventive programs. The authors found that increasing the number of events does not lead to a proportional increase in knowledge. Statistical analysis (Pearson correlation coefficient r = –0.24) showed that there is no direct linear relationship between the number of events and the quality of information acquisition. The key performance indicator is the calculated «efficiency coefficient», which demonstrates the «return» for each percentage of student engagement. The study found that universities that use systemic and interactive approaches achieve the best results, while traditional lecture formats are often formal. Despite the general awareness (95%), a quarter of respondents do not recognize the risks of their behavior. Students note the lack of modern information formats (podcasts, short videos on social media) and the complete absence of preventive measures in dormitories. It is concluded that it is necessary to move from quantitative indicators of coverage to individualized and behaviorally oriented methods, including rapid testing with counseling and the creation of a non-discriminatory environment in universities. The results can be used to optimize regional health programs in the higher education system.
The article systematizes digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies as key elements of healthpreserving management in a modern university. The aim of the study is not only to summarize existing technological solutions, but also to develop practical managerial approaches to their implementation, integration and performance evaluation within a unified healthpreserving ecosystem. The methodology includes an analysis of scientific publications, industry reports and implementation cases for 20202025, as well as the authors’ original method of constructing a technological maturity and prevalence graph, which allows prioritizing and justifying strategic investments. As a result, the main categories of digital tools are identified: mobile applications, wearable devices and campus analytical platforms, AIchatbots for psychological support, VR technologies, telemedicine and clinical decision support systems. Special attention is paid to managerial aspects: an operational tool is proposed for project offices and university administration, enabling informed decisions on the phased implementation of digital services (“quick wins” vs strategic investments). Key managerial challenges are considered – data confidentiality, infrastructure costs, digital literacy of staff and students, regulatory and ethical barriers – and ways to overcome them are suggested. It is shown that the integration of physical health, mental health and digital wellbeing on a single platform ensures a transition from a reactive to a proactive management model, consistent with the principles of 4P medicine (predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory). The obtained results can be used in the development of university development programs and interuniversity consortia within the framework of national priorities in digital healthcare.
Health of university faculty and staff constitutes one of the organization’s strategic resources, whose condition is largely determined by the nature of the institutional environment shaped by the employer. Managing a healthpromoting university environment requires an adequate diagnostic instrument, since, in the absence of systematic data on how employees subjectively perceive their working conditions, managerial decisions lack an evidence base. The purpose of this article is to present a developed and piloted methodology for the sociological measurement of a university’s health-promoting environment in a monitoring mode, grounded in the qualimetric assessment of its key indicators. The methodology operationalizes the concept of “health-promoting environment” through seven measurable indicators: medical care, sports and recreational infrastructure, sanitary and hygiene working conditions, catering system, socio-psychological climate, employee social security, and occupational safety. Each indicator is assessed through a set of empirical sub-indicators on a five-point scale; the resulting quality index enables the delineation of managerial risk zones and well-being zones. Piloting was conducted at the Russian State Social University (RSSU). The integral quality index of RSSU’s health-promoting environment was 3.62 points (classified as a “developed environment” level). The most vulnerable components were the socio-psychological climate (3.34) and sanitary and hygiene working conditions (3.57), which is consistent with findings from international studies on occupational risks among academic and teaching personnel. The novelty of the study lies in the creation of a standardized sociological instrument that enables regular diagnostic assessment of a university’s health-promoting environment and identification of priority areas for managerial intervention before organizational risks are converted into deterioration of employees’ occupational health.
This article explores the need for universities to transition to a program-based financial model, in which the educational program is considered the key unit of economic analysis and management decision-making.
In light of the national strategy towards strengthening position of higher education and extending Russian humanitarian influence globally, training of international postgraduate researchers has gained a special prominence with students acting as a key resource for scientific and technological cooperation and an effective soft power instrument. Despite a recent substantial increase in the number of students, training demonstrates low efficiency (low rates of graduates defending candidate dissertations).
In the context of the active implementation of Russia’s state policy to expand the export of higher education, numerous studies have recently emerged on the attractiveness of Russian universities and the prospects of educational migration. However, the scientific literature lacks quantitative assessments of the economic impact generated by international students during their residence and studies in specific regions.
The transformation of the vital activity of modern societies, associated with technological development, digitalization, and the escalation of geopolitical tensions, actualizes the youth issue and formulates new challenges to the system of state youth policy. In this context, an important research problem is the analysis of the correspondence of the purposeful actions of the state in the field of youth socialization to the socio-cultural features in which modernRussia finds itself. The article analyzes the main stages of youth policy implementation in the country’s recent history, highlights its key dysfunctions and contradictions.
One of the main (if not the primary) goals of the “5-100 Project” declared to be the internal transformation of Russian universities. It was assumed that the need to meet the program’s indicators would lead participating universities to recognize the necessity of deep reforms.
This article presents the results of a study aimed at identifying and quantifying the influence of regional innovation environment factors on the formation of small innovative enterprises (SIEs) as a form of academic entrepreneurship in Russian regions.
Focusing on Tver State Technical University (TvSTU), the paper analyzes the implementation of an «educational and production ecosystem architect» strategy between 2020 and 2025. The empirical base combines content analysis of 27 educational programs (bachelor’s, master’s, continuing professional education), 16 in-depth interviews with peat industry executives (n = 8), faculty members (n = 6), and research staff (n = 2), alongside surveys of 112 engineering graduates and 42 employers.
The study examines scientometric analysis as a tool for managing the region’s scientific and technological development, aiming to identify current and promising research areas, cluster them, and develop management strategies for further advancement.
This article examines the dynamics of the development of the system of continuing professional education (CPE) in the Russian Federation over the period 2020–2023, based on official statistical data. The findings indicate that during the period under review the CPE system demonstrated устойчивый growth: the number of individuals completing CPE programmes increased from 6.6 to 8.3 million, while the average frequency of participation in CPE among the employed population in 2023 was approximately once every nine years. At the same time, significant intersectoral disparities in CPE coverage were identified. In manufacturing industries, the average training frequency reached nearly once every 80 years; in construction, once every 21 years; and in agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing, and aquaculture, once every 29 years. The study also reveals emerging trends in the CPE services market, including a growing share of training delivered directly at enterprises without the involvement of specialized CPE providers, as well as a sharp decline in the proportion of employees with secondary vocational education participating in CPE programmes. An analysis of regional differences made it possible to identify federal districts and constituent entities acting as “attracting” and “sending” centers of training, based on a comparison between their share of CPE participants nationwide and their contribution to the country’s gross domestic product. The article concludes that the CPE market is likely to continue transforming in the coming years, and that organizations that take these trends into account may enhance the effectiveness of their continuing professional education services.
