The influence of e-sports on the health of higher education students

Cyber athletes are affected by a number of threatening factors. Against the background of the growing popularity of e-sports among students of higher educational institutions, the question of the impact of e-sports on their health is becoming more and more relevant. The purpose of the study is to investigate the negative factors and check the impact of e-sports on the health of higher education students. The survey was conducted online using Google Forms. It lasted from January 20 to June 6, 2023 and involved 111 higher education students. The fact that e sports is much more popular among male students compared to female students was confirmed by previous analysis. Therefore, the questionnaires of 46 students were selected for further research, 27 of which were engaged in e-sports and 19 did not show a particular interest in such activity or did not play computer games at all. The results. To assess the impact of e-sports activities on players’ health, we compared student survey results based on their e-sports activities. It was established that, despite the absence of statistically significant differences (p>0.05), under the influence of e-sports, students have a tendency to disorders of the musculoskeletal system, increased muscle pain, and impaired vision. Under the influence of e-sports, the risk of psycho-emotional problems increases statistically (p<0.05). It has been proven that the most dangerous factors of negative impact on the health of e-sportsmen are constant interaction with the monitor, prolonged stay in a static position while sitting at the computer, violation of the ergonomically optimal posture of the PC user, as well as violation of the balance between e-sports and other types of activities, which causes psycho-emotional disorders. It was established that there are statistically significant (p<0.05) differences between the frequency of cases when e-sports players lead a passive lifestyle or devote less time to healthrecreational physical activity compared to students who do not engage in e-sports. Conclusions. The reduced level of physical activity of higher education students engaged in e-sports can increase the effect of negative factors.