Components of positive impact of exposure on university physical culture and sports on students' physical activity

Abstract

IntroductionThe review of scientific studies focused on the main issues of physical upbringing of today's generations shows that lack of physical activity in schoolchildren and students is a major challenge facing educators and health care specialitsts around the world (Osipov, Vonog, & Zhavner, 2016). It was found that physical education lessons given at Russian higher education institutions today do not provide the required level of physical activity necessary for better health and balanced physical developemnt of future specialists (Funina, & Frolov, 2016; Osipov, Starova, Malakhova, et al. 2016). The results of the monitored level of physical development and health in Russian university students reveal a noticeable decrease in the main indicators of their physical health during their studies. At the same time, there is an increasingly bigger number of students with excess weight or suffering from obesity (Osipov, Kudryavtsev, & Iermakov, 2017; Peshkov, & Sharaykina, 2014). It should be noted that this trend towards deteriorating health in younger generations and growing numbers of obese people everywhere in the world does set the alarm bells ringing among health care specialists (Radziminska, Weber-Rajek, & Moska, 2016; Gaetano, 2016; Hardman, 2008).They believe that these issues may be resolved through introduction of brand new educational programs (Levanova, Kokorina, Nikitin, et al. 2016; Kirk, & Haerens, 2014), or major changes to the process organisation and structure of education institutions per se (Osipov, Starova, Malakhova, et al. 2016). Such changes should envolve improvement of health culture in students and educators, and nurture strong views on necessity to keep a healthy lifestyle (Kudryavtsev, Kramida, & Osipov, 2016; Melnyk, Amaya, & Hoyinq, 2016; Iermakov, Cieślicka, & Muszkieta, 2015). Higher education, as S. Lundvall thinks, will play an essential part in development of physical health awareness in the young people of today (Lundvall, 2015).F. Trudeau claims that introduction of extracurricular sports programs into the educational process will maximise the positive effects, such as better overall performance in their studies, and in the longer run - dedication to physical activity (Trudeau, & Shephard, 2008). Specialists agree that various sports programs may significantly increase the students' motivation for being more physically active and doing sports (Wallhead, & Ntoumanis, 2004). For example, A. Bozhkova is convinced that application of specialised athletic programs in students with delicate health produces a positive impact (Bozhkova, Slavcheva-Hinkova, & Lekina, 2017). The authors of this article are certain that introduction and use of sport-oriented programs in the education process (aimed at attracting students to different types of sports) and physical upbringing will help the emergence and development of the physical culture and sports environment at universities. This environement is defined by specialists as a combination of conditions and possibilities needed for physical formation and development of a person, involving both their space-and-object environment and the social reality (Patrikeev, & Durkin, 2012). The need to qualitatively improve the level of physical development and health of university students has long been indicated by many experts. A. Bolotin, in particular, calls for an effective system that would attract students to regular physical activity and healthy lifestyle (Bolotin, & Bakayev, 2015). There is no doubt that personalities of graduates are shaped in the environment of the education institution they once chose as their alma mater, so, given that there is an effective physical culture and sports environment arranged, it will have a definitive impact on the phycological and physical evolution of a young professional (Manzheley, 2013).According to S. Lundvall, the modern stage of physical education in students can be characterised by increasing motor activity during their studies (Lundvall, & Schantz, 2014). …