Structure of morbidity in first-year humanities and technical students

BACKGROUND: Low levels of public health awareness are observed in many countries, regardless of development status. Promotion of health- conscious thinking should be a key strategy of modern government, ideally cultivated during the period of growth and maintained throughout life, adapting as external and internal environmental factors change. Older age groups exhibit a wider range of disease combinations, though the basis for these conditions begins to form during the body’s development, continues throughout life, and directly depends on the health consciousness.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the causes of disease development in first-year humanities and technical students based on a comprehensive medical examination.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 1,100 humanities and technical students (550 humanities students and 550 technical students). Results of comprehensive medical examination were analyzed to assess the health status of first-year students, identify major medical conditions, and categorize students by health group considering their conditions.

RESULTS: The structure of the main groups of diseases was as follows: diseases of the eye and adnexa in 35.5% of humanities student and 31.5% of technical students; musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders in 23.3% of humanities students and 28.7% of technical students; ear, nose and throat diseases in 23.1% of humanities students and 19.5% of technical students; circulatory system diseases in 17.5% of humanities students and 22.9% of technical students. The distribution of students by health groups was as follows: health group 1 included 15.3% ± 1.5% of humanities students and 11.1% ± 1.3% of technical students; health group 2 included 58.8% ± 2.2% of humanitarian students and 48.3% ± 3.1% of technical students; health group 3 included 23.1% ± 1.8% of humanities students and 34.2% ± 2.0% of technical students; health group 4 included 2.9% ± 0.7% of humanities students and 6.4% ± 1.0% of technical students, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained confirmed the high prevalence of various groups of disorders among the younger generation, with ear, nose and throat diseases being one of the most common groups. This underscores the need for regular health monitoring of the younger generation, along with preventive and rehabilitative measures, to mitigate the development and spread of various groups of diseases.