Abstract

Abstract

Attitudes toward people with disabilities reflect the level of moral and cultural development of societies, their cohesion, and their ability to coexist harmoniously. Studying students’ attitudes toward wheelchair users in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine is an important step in exploring the sociodemographic determinants of those attitudes and the evolution of social awareness among young people. The research was conducted twice, in 2022 and 2024, covering 1,453 and 986 Ukrainian students, respectively, from medical, humanities, and social science programmes at universities in Kyiv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv. The method used was a diagnostic survey with a standardised questionnaire, the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities (MAS-UA). Results are presented in subscales, with higher values indicating more negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. The results indicate significant differences in the first subscale of the MAS (39.94 ± 5.97 in 2022 vs. 33.76 ± 10.07 in 2024), suggesting an increase in positive emotional-evaluative attitudes in the later study. The overall assessment of social attitudes has also improved (79.22 ± 11.98 vs. 74.02 ± 18.31). The cognitive and behavioural aspects of attitudes are more stable and change relatively slowly. The armed conflict has triggered the mobilisation of the Ukrainian youth to increase efforts for the benefit of people with physical disabilities. The sociodemographic ‘profile’ plays a role in shaping emotional attitudes and the overall MAS score. Older students, women, those living in large cities, married individuals, students in medical fields, and those who identify with a religion exhibit a more positive attitude. The increase in positive emotions, reduction in tension, stress, helplessness, and shame indicate an improvement in mental well-being. However, a decline has been noted in feelings of relaxation, calmness, and composure. A daily visual or direct contact with people with physical disabilities has significantly improved affective attitudes, highlighting the importance of direct interactions in fostering empathy and understanding. 

Background: Walking as a method of functional recovery is used to treat many diseases. It is an accessible, natural and widespread form of
physical activity. Terrenkur is defined as distance, time, and angle dosed hiking; a method of training and treating patients with cardiovascular
diseases. One alternative method of rehabilitation is Nordic Walking which leads to increasing both the number of muscles involved in
movement and physical and aerobic load.

УДК 613.4:616.1-084(477.83)

Резюме. Згідно із сучасними уявленнями, до поняття «здоров’я» входить багато складових – фізична, психічна, інтелектуальна, емоційна, духовна, соціальна та моральна, які разом утворюють єдиний комплекс здоров’я людини. Для забезпечення стану здоров’я необхідним є дотримання здорового способу життя та проходження профілактичних оглядів у лікаря для запобігання і вчасного виявлення патологічних відхилень. 30 вересня у Львові відбувся благодійний захід – «День здоров’я для Перемоги». Під час проведення заходу учасники мали змогу спробувати різні види фізичної активності, послухати лекції про здоровий спосіб життя, а також перевірити стан свого здоров’я і визначити свій серцево-судинний ризик.

Ключові слова: здоров’я, фактори серцево-судинного ризику, фізична активність.

ABSTRACT
Background: Currently, a topical area of research is the multidimensional approach to both reliable tools and professional interventions aimed at improving the attitudes of Ukrainian society toward people with disabilities in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to study the factor structure of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) questionnaire on a sample of Ukrainian students to create an adaptation of the original version (MAS-UA).
Material and methods: The main authors of the questionnaire gave their consent for the adaptation. The Ukrainian version of the MAS was developed using the method of back translation from the original language. The proposed multi-factor structure of the MAS-UA was tested in an anonymous online study of 1619 Ukrainian students.

Results: The factor analysis and a parallel exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 5-factor structure for the MAS-UA (the classic domains – cognitive, affective, and behavioral – and two additional domains, negative effects and items concentrated in the factors “Calm” and “Desire to communicate”). These five factors yielded 62.6% of the total variance score.
Conclusions: The MAS-UA was developed and presented as a reliable instrument for examining attitudes toward people with physical disabilities. The instrument can be used for the initial assessment when developing prevention and educational programs in the field of social policy, as well as to evaluate their effectiveness. Studies using the adapted version of the scale (MAS-UA) will allow the comparison of results from other countries where other language versions are used.
Keywords: Ukrainian students, MAS questionnaire, multidimensional attitudes, disability, measurement
scale, factor analysis