Obesity is a global epidemic of the 21st century and a core component in the development of nutrition-related diseases. In the Russian Federation (RF), more than 60% of the adult population is overweight or obese, which necessitates designing and implementing new prevention strategies. This study aimed to provide a scientific basis for the role of personalized dietary interventions and educational technologies in preventing obesity-related complications. We reviewed papers from PubMed and eLIBRARY databases (2020-2026) found by keywords "obesity," "nutrition," "education," "prevention". The analysis showed that the effectiveness of the traditional approaches to diet therapy is insufficient. It was established that the key to successful prevention is extended diagnostics providing data on the individual metabolic phenotypes. Healthy Nutrition educational cluster and digital components of the NIAP system (research-based educational and analytical platform) are important tools in increasing obesity-related public awareness and professional training of medical specialists. Effective personalized prevention of obesity complications requires concurrent realization of three interrelated initiatives: diet correction based on instrumental diagnostics; adoption of educational technologies for doctors and patients; and reinforcement of sanitary and epidemiological surveillance measures. The proposed multilevel approach, which integrates hygiene-related measures and modern digital tools, enables a reduction in the prevalence of obesity and the achievement of strategic public health-saving goals in the Russian population.
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The introduction of a system for monitoring the body’s functional state and nutritional characteristics into the medical university educational process seems to be a relevant solution to the problem of maintaining the health of student youth. The study aimed to test the use of the Valeoscan program for monitoring the health and diet features in the 1st-year, 4th-year, and 6th-year students of the Medical Institute of the Tula State University (n = 3676). A significant (p < 0.05) increase in the time it took to complete psychophysiological tests was reported in the first-years, who studied in 2016−2023: the time to complete the correction test increased from 200.59 ± 4.21 s to 231.83 ± 5.71 s in females; from 202.40 ± 6.02 s to 229.00 ± 7.34 s in males. In the dynamics of the years of study (from the 1st to 6th year), a significant (р < 0.05) increase in body mass index (BMI) was revealed: from 20.81 ± 0.30 kg/m2 to 22.45 ± 0.41 kg/m2 in females; from 22.71 ± 0.65 kg/m2 to 24.24 ± 0.54 kg/m2 in males, respectively. Furthermore, an increase in the proportion of students with overweight in the BMI range ≥ 29 kg/m² was revealed. In the 6th year, the proportion decreased of the students with excess fat in their diet (from 13.72 ± 0.09 to 8.32 ± 0.04% in females, p < 0.05; from 46.94 ± 0.28 to 6.72 ± 0.05% in males, р = 0.00039) and water deficit (from 72.41 ± 0.12 to 66.73 ± 0.21% in females, р < 0.05; from 71.85 ± 0.13 to 66.72 ± 0.21% in males, р < 0.05); the proportion of students, who followed healthy eating principles, increased (from 73.26 ± 0.64 to 81.39 ± 0.73% in females, р < 0.05; from 62.86 ± 0.52 to 65.71 ± 0.54% in males, р < 0,05). The Valeoscan program introduction into the educational process has made it possible to monitor the functional health indicators and nutritional characteristics of medical university students, which can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the health-preserving technology being introduced.
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Studying at medical universities involves a high academic workload, frequent movement between clinics, and, in some cases, employment in medical institutions. These factors may impair cognitive function and contribute to the development of anxiety, sleep disturbances, and daytime sleepiness.  This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of sleep disorders among medical university students in a megalopolis. We used the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Spiegel Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MOS-SS) to anonymously survey 1,627 students (1,329 females and 298 males) from all years and faculties at St. Petersburg Pediatric Medical University. It was found that 86.7% of students feel daytime sleepiness of varying severity, and it is much more common in females (96.0%) than in males (45.2%; p = 0.0000). Various sleep-quality disturbances were identified in 94.5% of students; girls had them more often (99.6%) than boys (71.9%; p < 0.0000). We found a moderate positive correlation between daytime sleepiness and sleep disorder severity (r = 0.45; p < 0.05). The study findings substantiate the need for preventive measures aimed at improving sleep quality and adjusting academic workload, as well as for specialist consultations in cases of severe sleep disorders.
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Intensification of livestock farming creates conditions for the accumulation and circulation of pathogenic and opportunistic fungi with the development of antifungal resistance. The study aimed to perform comprehensive assessment of fungal contamination of production environment in various areas of livestock farms and determine sensitivity of the extracted isolates to common antifungal agent. The presence of fungal contamination in the air of all working areas of the studied production facility was established. Predominance of Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans was revealed. In 50% of cases, mixed contamination with different types of mold fungi was observed. The highest contamination levels were reported for the bedding material. Resistance of microorganisms to several antifungal drugs with different mechanisms of action at once has been revealed. The study confirmed systemic contamination of the livestock complex production environment with potentially pathogenic fungi forming stable communities in feed and bedding. The reported sanitary and microbiological approaches to assessing fungal contamination at livestock production facilities have a pronounced comprehensive preventive focus, which makes it possible to improve the farm employees’ working conditions, as well as provide measures to improve the livestock complex production environment.
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The large body of accumulated scientific material requires not only literature reviews, but also an analysis of authors’ current publication activity and a search for possible research priority areas. This study aimed to analyze publications addressing the physical development of children and adolescents during the past ten years. We searched for papers in https://elibrary.ru/, narrowing the selection only to sources belonging to the core of the RSCI. The search spanned the period from the beginning of 2014 to the first quarter of 2025. The keywords were "physical development," "children and adolescents." We found that more than 500 studies on the topic have been published in 33 journals over the past decade. This study highlights the most cited publications, outlines the range of current research topics, and discusses the prospects of future investigations. The analysis of publication activity related to the studies considering physical development of children, adolescents and youth has demonstrated continued relevance of research in this area. However, it should rely on big data, cross-discipline approach involving leading schools of thought, monitoring of previously published papers to avoid duplication, fundamental research as basis of the efforts, and domestic scholar traditions. Other prerequisites of efficient studies in this field include exchange of scientific experience and cross-citation of papers that supports comparisons of the results.
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Despite restrictive measures adopted by many governments worldwide, nicotine addiction remains a serious global health problem. In recent years, adolescents and young people have been strongly encouraged to use nicotine-containing products (NCPs), as the market has seen the emergence of new nicotine delivery vehicles such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). This study aimed to analyze the patterns of use of NCPs by students. We surveyed 866 young people using standardized questionnaires, including the WHO Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) and the Fagerström Test. Over the course of their lives, 65.6% of respondents (n = 568) had consumed NCPs. E-cigarettes are the most popular product among current users (31.5% of respondents, n = 273), ahead of traditional cigarettes and hookahs. A significant portion of users (67.3%, n = 233) combine several types of NCPs. The median age at first nicotine use was 16.0 [14.0–18.0] years for boys and 17.0 [15.0–18.0] years for girls; among adolescents who had ever tried nicotine (n = 256), 44.4% reported e-cigarettes as their first product. High nicotine addiction was identified in 22.5% of users (n = 78). The main reason for the first try is curiosity (63.5%, n = 366), and continued (current) consumption is mainly motivated by the desire to relax and get distracted from problems. The results of this study emphasize the need to develop targeted prevention programs that take into account current trends and psychological mechanisms of formation of addiction in adolescents and youth.
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