Health as an Object of Governance: The Role of Universities

Research on the health of students in higher educational institutions is gaining popularity. Universities are large ecosystems in which students and teachers live and work. In this regard, universities are beginning to act as living laboratories for researching health and ways to ensure it, as well as for planning and introducing new health management practices. The aim of the article is to determine the main areas of research that needs to be carried out to develop an effective health management strategy within the university. To reach the aim, the authors selected research articles in foreign peer-reviewed journals in the Scopus database for keywords related to the definition and perception of health by students and university professors and health management issues on university campuses. The authors analysed the obtained samples in order to assess the dynamics of publications, to identify the main directions of research in the field of health in universities, to determine the main methodological approaches and techniques for the implementation of these studies. As a result, the authors identified several main directions, interest in which is growing every year in the international academic community. Among them, there are the identification of the determinants of health and a healthy lifestyle, the study of ideas about health and a healthy lifestyle among students and teachers of universities, their perception of health risk factors, motivations for physical activity and sports, eating behaviour, and some others. These studies use both quantitative and qualitative methods, assessment tools developed by the World Health Organization and other international organisations working in the field of health, and innovative approaches such as photo analysis. As the main areas of research, the authors of the article propose to create a solid basis for understanding approaches to improve the health and well-being of the population formulating the determinants of health and the factors that threaten it, identifying cultural values for both macrocultural groups (religious groups, geographic groups, professional groups), and at the micro-level within the cultures of the institution or various local communities. They propose to identify cultural value systems that affect the behaviour and perceptions of students and teachers in connection with a healthy lifestyle and understanding of health in general, as well as to identify the mechanisms underlying the construction of subjective perception of these concepts. The results of such studies can form the basis of a program for managing the health of students and teachers on the campus of Tomsk State University. If successful, it can be extrapolated to other educational organisations in Russia.

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