Health and Healthy Lifestyle as Social Values of State Development

Abstract

The article considers the theoretical and methodological justification of two categories: 'health' and a 'healthy lifestyle' as social values of the state development based on the adopted social policy in this sphere. The author considers the process of the health and healthy lifestyle values formation as the highest goals and values of the state in the adopted normative legal acts of Russia. The comparative analysis has shown that the definition of the 'healthy lifestyle' category emphasizes different aspects of the development of social values and their impact on the development of the state policy in this sphere. The article substantiates that this process runs if the realization of goals and values occurs at three levels: personal or individual level; collective or community level; state or political level. The author used the social approach to identify the consequences of the implementation of the state's social policy in the sphere of a healthy lifestyle on the value attitude of people to their health and elements of a healthy lifestyle culture. It was revealed that the number of smokers aged 16 to 18 years has sharply decreased from 24 % to 5% of smokers in this age category, which confirms the correctness of the conclusions about the need for the three-level awareness of goals and values in the field of a healthy lifestyle. The author used the legal approach to analyse the achievement of targets in the field of a healthy lifestyle based on legal acts. Over the past decade, Russia has developed a sufficient legal framework in this sphere.