The article presents the results of a sociological study of the self-preservation behavior of students of Saint Petersburg medical and pharmaceutical universities. The theoretical basis of the work is the interpretation of self-preservation behavior as a multicomponent system, including motivational value, cognitive orientation and behavioral blocks. The empirical basis of the study is a questionnaire survey (N = 503) of students from two of the largest specialized universities in the city studying in medical and pharmaceutical fields of study. The aim of the study is to analyze self-preserving behavior of future healthcare professionals, revealing the correlation between their cognitive value attitudes toward health and real self-preservation practices, as well as factors that prevent the translation of health knowledge into everyday behavior. In accordance with the three-block model, the place of health, longevity and safety in the structure of life goals has been studied; self-assessment of health and lifestyle; dietary practices, physical activity, rejection of unhealthy habits, preventive actions and attempts to change behavior toward healthy lifestyle. The results show that medical students' health and longevity occupy leading positions in the hierarchy of life goals and are embedded in a set of family and professional priorities. At the same time, the cognitive orientation block is characterized by a combination of a relatively high self-assessment of health and a critical assessment of one's own lifestyle. The behavioral block demonstrates heterogeneity: against the background of widespread daily walking and individual health promotion efforts, irregular sports, an unbalanced diet and certain bad habits persist. The students point to time constraints, academic workload, and stress as key barriers to implementing self-preservation practices. The revealed cognitive behavioral gap is interpreted as a result of the interaction of motivational value attitudes and institutional constraints of the educational environment. The data obtained can be used in the development of prevention and health promotion programs for students of medical universities, focused on a comprehensive impact on the motivational, attitude and behavioral dimensions of self-preservation behavior
Keywords
Self-preservation behavior, self-preservation practices, health, healthy lifestyle, quality of life, students, medical universities