Drinking water as an element of a healthy lifestyle of medical students

Abstract

Aim to study medical university students attitude to water intake as an element of a healthy lifestyle. Material and methods. 824 students of medical university took part in a survey on their attitude to drinking water. The data obtained were processed using the methods of descriptive, parametric and nonparametric statistics. Results. The students attitude to water consumption corresponds to the current WHO recommendations. Almost all respondents (93.2%) agree that water and its rational consumption have positive impact on human health. 87.3% of the students consume water as a drink, with an average of 1.530.02 liters per day. 81.8% of respondents use drinking water to satisfy their thirst. 55.3% of respondents prefer still spring water. 32.9% of respondents pointed to the leading role of the family and traditions in forming a certain attitude to drinking water consumption. The respondents also noted the influence of media reports and advertising (20.0%) and of the immediate environment such as friends, classmates, etc. (19.8%). 51.8% of respondents are ready to replace the drinks they use with drinking water. Conclusion. The main factors determining the behavior of the majority of students in relation to the rational use of drinking water are age and family (including the presence of medical workers among relatives).

Keywords

• healthy lifestyle
• drinking regime