Classroom microclimate and its impact on students' adaptation

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The study was conducted on the basis of Voronezh State Medical University (VSMU) named after N. N. Burdenko. The work took place in two stages.
1. Measurement of microclimatic parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, atmospheric pressure) of classrooms of various departments of the Burdenko State State Medical University (general hygiene, normal anatomy, pharmacology, histology, foreign languages). The measurements were carried out using the METEOSCOPE-M device in the cold season. The study was conducted at three points at different heights (10 cm, 1.0 m and 1.5 m from the floor) in the diametric center of the room. The weatheroscope probe was placed in a horizontal position using a tripod. Measurements at each height were carried out for 5 minutes, the data obtained were entered into the protocol, after which the arithmetic mean was calculated, which served as the final measurement result. To evaluate the results, SanPiN 1.2.3685-21 "Hygienic standards and requirements for ensuring the safety and (or) harmlessness of environmental factors for humans" was used [2].
2. Determination of the adaptive potential according to the formula of R.M. Bayevsky. The research was conducted during a week during which students did not have colloquiums and tests to exclude the influence of excitement and fatigue on performance. After the start of classes, students were given 15-20 minutes to normalize breathing and heart rate (HR) to exclude the influence of external factors on hemodynamic parameters. The object of the study was a group consisting of 17 people who do not have chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system. The adaptive potential (AP) of the circulatory system was calculated according to the formula of R.M. Bayevsky (AP = 0.011PE + 0.014ADS + 0.008ADD + 0.014V + 0.009MT – (0.009P + 0.27), where B is age, years; MT is body weight, kg; P is height, cm; ADS – systolic blood pressure, mmHg; ADD – diastolic blood pressure, mmHg; PE – pulse rate in 1 min [1]. The measurements were carried out with an electric tonometer. The state of AP (CU) was assessed as: up to 2.1 – a satisfactory level of adaptation, 2.11–3.2 – adaptation stress, 3.21–4.3 – unsatisfactory adaptation, above 4.3 – disruption of the adaptation process [3].
The results of the study.
In the course of the work, it was found out that in most of the departments we examined, microclimatic indicators do not correspond to the norm, especially temperature and air velocity. At normal temperatures in the cold season – 20.9-23.1 degrees – an increase in temperature was observed in all departments – from 25.0 to 26.0 degrees. At the same time, the air velocity was lowered, at a rate of 0.1 m/s it dropped to 0.01 m/s. Thus, we are talking about a heating microclimate [2].
Most of the subjects had either boundary values of the R.M. Bayevsky index, or stress of adaptive mechanisms.
The stress of students' adaptive potential determined by R.M. Bayevsky's formula confirms the body's reaction to the warming microclimate in classrooms. When the air velocity decreases, the efficiency of heat transfer decreases, which can contribute to the stress of thermoregulation mechanisms. The organs and tissues of the nervous system are the most sensitive to the action of environmental factors [4]. Thus, in the process of thermoregulation, the sympathetic nervous system plays an undoubted role, regulating the blood flow of blood vessels of the skin and sweat glands. Elevated temperature and low air velocity create a subjective feeling of "stuffiness" in the individual, which together will contribute to the activation of the sympatho-adrenal system. Prolonged stress on adaptive mechanisms can lead to a decrease in adaptive abilities, since the mediator link will be depleted [5]. The stress state that occurs during prolonged activation of the sympatho-adrenal system can adversely affect the learning outcomes of students. According to the literature, stress is characterized by an increase in heart rate, an increase in the minute volume of blood circulation (MOK) and ADS [6], as evidenced by the values of the adaptive potential of students obtained by us. In addition, in order to maintain a normal body temperature in a room with a heating microclimate, a dominant is formed in humans that prevents the formation of conditioned reflexes, inhibiting the learning process due to the development of an orientation reflex.
Conclusion.
The heating type of the microclimate of classrooms in a number of departments of VSMU, confirmed by objective measurements, causes tension in the adaptive potential of students due to increased activity of the thermoregulatory and sympatho-adrenal systems of the body. Accordingly, there is a decrease in the performance of students and the occurrence of functional disorders in the body due to overstrain of adaptive mechanisms. For a comfortable stay of students in the learning environment, measures are needed to optimize the microclimatic conditions in the educational premises, for example, the organization of artificial ventilation and air conditioning.

About the authors

Ivan Ivanovich Golovko

Voronezh State Medical University named after N.N. Burdenko

Email: Vany.golovko@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0003-7037-7794
SPIN-code: 8886-0564

Student

Russian Federation, 10 Studentskaya str., Voronezh, 394036, Russia

Karina Magovedovna Ramazanova

Voronezh State Medical University named after N.N. Burdenko

Email: arina_ramazanova_04@inbox.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0003-2640-816X

Student

Russian Federation, 10 Studentskaya str., Voronezh, 394036, Russia

Tatyana Evgenievna Ferticova

Voronezh State Medical University named after N.N. Burdenko

Author for correspondence.
Email: t.e.fertikova@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4370-9197
SPIN-code: 8358-8372

Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor

Russian Federation, 10 Studentskaya str., Voronezh, 394036, Russia

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