Gender features of adaptation as a result of climate and balneotherapy within health resort treatment

Aim: the paper aims to identify the features of psycho-emotional and adaptive responses of male and female patients of middle and old age undergoing a course of climate and balneotherapy as a part of health resort treatment. Materials and methods. The study was performed at the Siberia Center for Reconstructive Medicine and Rehabilitation (Tyumen region). 53 patients aged from 31 to 74 years were examined (34 female and 19 male patients). All patients arrived from different climatic regions. Patients were asked to complete the following questionnaires: SF-36 Health Survey, Well-being. Activity. Mood (WAM) questionnaire, A. Wein questionnaire. The functional status of the autonomic system was assessed by the Kerdo index. Adaptive responses were estimated with the index of functional changes. The survey was conducted on the first and last days of health resort treatment. Results. The dynamics of the functional status of the autonomic system and quality of life assessment allowed to identify gender features in the responses of middle and old age people undergoing health resort treatment. It was found that female patients were characterized by greater changes in quality of life levels and functional status compared with male patients. Conclusion. The study showed that health resort treatment resulted in positive changes in psychological status, enhanced adaptive capacities and affected the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity in favor of moderate sympathetic activity. The data obtained contribute to the improvement of health resort treatment in middle and old age people and increase the efficiency of health care technologies by taking into account the effect of gender features on the functional status of the age groups.