Practices of Using And Relating to Digital Health-Saving Technologies by Students of Moscow Universities

The article is devoted to the study of the practices of using digital health technologies by Moscow students and their impact on changing behavior in relation to maintaining health and trust in medical services. In the context of becoming the norm, strategies for combining work and learning and the digital transformation of the educational process, which stimulate increased stress in the academic environment, the values, motivations and barriers that shape the attitude of young people to digital practices and services for monitoring and maintaining health are explored. The purpose of the research is to analyze the level of awareness and prevalence of using digital services and devices, as well as to assess the impact of digital health practices on the actual health and mental well-being of Moscow students and, on this basis, to outline key management tasks for universities in the field of health-saving. Based on the results of a sociological study conducted by the author among students of two levels of education (bachelor’s, specialist, and master’s degrees) at 26 universities in Moscow (N=230), the study confirmed the high level of awareness of digital health maintenance and revealed a high level of involvement in various digital health-saving practices, which were obtained from social media, some of which have a destructive effect on the health of students. The ambivalent attitude of students towards digital services and health-saving technologies has been revealed: expanding the ability to monitor physical and psychological conditions, change lifestyle in favor of a healthy one, and plan different types of activity is associated with additional problems - increased anxiety, a false sense of security and control. Particular risks are caused by an increase in selfmedication practices using artificial intelligence, which not only deepens the negative effects of self-medication at the current moment, but also contributes to the consolidation of negative health maintenance patterns in young audiences without seeking professional medical help. The results of the study highlight the dilemma between the potential of digital tools and the risk of misinformation, offering recommendations for universities in the field of public health.Â