Keywords: physical activity, female students, academic stress, functional state, health, physical education, work capacity.

Objective of the study: to determine the effect of the level of physical activity on the indicators of functional state and subjective well-being of junior female students at technical universities under conditions of academic stress.

Methodology and organization of the study. The study involved 35 female students of the 1st and 2nd years, aged 17–20, who were divided into an experimental group (n=16), systematically engaged in physical education and performing additional independent exercises, and a control group (n=19), limited to mandatory educational classes. The assessment of the functional state was carried out at the beginning and at the end of the academic semester based on the indicators of resting heart rate, the Ruffier index, and a subjective assessment of well-being and fatigue. Academic stress was considered as a combination of psycho-emotional and functional load caused by the educational process and the examination session.

Results of the study and their discussion. At the beginning of the study, the indicators of the functional state of female students in the experimental and control groups showed no statistically significant differences (p≥0.05). Resting heart rate was 78.6±5.2 bpm and 79.1±5.5 bpm, respectively, and the Ruffier index was 12.4±1.8 and 12.7±1.9 units, which corresponded to a satisfactory level of functional readiness. By the end of the academic semester, a pronounced positive dynamic was recorded in the experimental group: resting heart rate decreased to 72.3±4.6 bpm, and the Ruffier index improved to 10.3±1.6 units (p<0.05), which indicates the improved efficiency of the cardiovascular system and an increase in functional readiness. In the control group, the changes were less pronounced: heart rate decreased to 77.8±5.1 bpm, and the Ruffier index decreased to 12.1±1.7 units (p≥0.05). The subjective assessment showed a decrease in fatigue and an increase in activity among female students in the experimental group, whereas in the control group, a tendency towards increased fatigue was noted by the end of the semester. The obtained data confirm the compensatory effect of regular physical activity on the functional state of female students under conditions of academic stress.

Conclusions. The results of the study confirm the significant role of physical activity in preserving the health of junior female students under conditions of academic stress. Regular physical education classes contribute to the improvement of the functional state, reduction of fatigue, and can be considered an effective means of preventing functional overstrain during the period of study at a university.

References

1. Guba V.P., Presnyakov V.V., Solodnikov A.V., Martynenko I.V. Pokazateli fizicheskogo razvitiya i podgotovlennosti studentov mladshikh kursov [Indicators of physical development and preparedness of junior students]. Fizicheskaya kultura: vospitanie, obrazovanie, trenirovka [Physical Culture: Education, Training]. 2024. No. 5. Pp. 71–73.