The thesis deals with the scientific substantiation of ways to correct the deficiency of basic essential nutrients in the nutrition of student youth, substantiation and development of multi-purpose questionnaire, which provides an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive assessment of actual nutrition and main components of the lifestyle of the population, including student youth.
At the first stage of research, we substantiated and developed the questionnaire to assess the nutrition of various groups of the population, including student youth. This questionnaire was tested and evaluated by experts.
When conducting a hygienic assessment of the animal origin foods consumption frequency in the diet of student youth, it was found that more than 2/3 of the diets of medical students do not meet national recommendations for nutrition.
Estimation of the plant foods consumption frequency in the diet of student youth allowed us to establish that 70% of student diets by their filling with this group of products do not meet national recommendations for the frequency of its consumption. Only one-third of female respondents and 15-25% of male respondents use vegetables in their diet daily.
Comparing the actual average daily consumption of dairy and fermented milk products by medical students with national recommendations, we found that whole milk is not consumed by one-third of respondents, regardless of gender and year of study. The half of junior year of study respondents, regardless of gender, do not include fermented milk products in their diet at all.
Comparing the national recommendations on the consumption of meat and meat products with the average daily consumption by medical students, we found that one-third of male respondents, regardless of the year of study, and half of the female respondents do not eat pork. Beef is not included in half of the respondents’ diet, regardless of gender and year of study. Almost half of the respondents include poultry (chicken) in their diet. One-third of male and half female respondents do not consume lard, regardless of the year of study.
Analysis of fish and seafood consumption showed that half of the respondents do not include sea and freshwater fish in their diet. Seafood is absent in the diets of 70% of respondents, regardless of gender and year of study.
When estimating the average daily consumption of eggs, it was found that only 1/10 of respondents do not eat eggs at all, and more than a one-third of respondents include 1 or 2 eggs daily in their diet.
According to the recommendations, half of the respondents, regardless of gender and year of study, include in their diet traditional for Ukrainians vegetables (cabbage, carrots, beets) in sufficient quantities.
Half of the respondents include up to 200 g of apples in their diets daily, and one-third of the respondents, regardless of gender and year of study, over 200 g. One-third of the respondents consume up to 200 g of citrus fruits daily. More than half of the respondents, regardless of gender and year of study, use canned home-grown vegetables and fruits in their diets. The findings indicate that 50% of student diets do not meet national recommendations for variety and average daily consumption by filling with vegetables and fruits.
Based on our research, the main ways of student youth correction diets in relation to the content of basic essential nutrients have been scientifically substantiated.
In accordance with the identified violations of the nutrition principles, the primary task should be general recommendations for adjusting the main components of lifestyle and diet, namely: number of food intakes (main and additional food intakes, time and duration of consumption, intervals between food intakes, taking into account the duration of sleep); frequency of consumption of the main food groups during the day, week; average daily consumption of foods that are sources of essential nutrients quotas in the diet, and products of exclusion and restriction in the diet; water intake schedule. It is essential to personalize the recommendations.
Advice on developing a personalized menu should be based on the principles of rational nutrition, taking into account the physiological needs of the population of Ukraine in basic nutrients and energy in accordance with gender, age, and actual body weight, physical activity of students, food preferences, national traditions, and seasonality.
The key aspects of the recommendations on the lifestyle and nutrition of student youth should be not only general, but also personalized. The introduction of such recommendations in student life, especially of medical students’ life, will provide an opportunity to develop health-preserving skills, behavior, and competencies that are an integral part of the formation of their professional knowledge, their use in further practice as the doctor. The above recommendations will help prevent health problems in students and the general population.
