The introduction of strict quarantine restrictions in many countries initiated a direction in science to study the behavioral characteristics of children and adolescents during the social isolation at the population level. We present our observations during the two lockdowns in Ukraine. The objective of this study was to determine: a) the level of light (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity among school-age children, and b) the impact of the external and internal factors on their physical activity during the lockdown. Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) as part of our questionnaire Q-RAPH was used. Parents of 1091 children 6–18 years old (54% boys) filled Q-RAPH at two measurement points in 2020 and 2021. After performing ANCOVA and logistic regression, we found a significant decrease in MVPA by 12.7% in 2021 compared to 2020 ( p < 0.001) while LPA was about 1.5 h a day during both periods. The proportion of children who reach the recommended levels of MVPA also decreased by 13.7% in 2021 ( p < 0.001). Factors negatively affecting the achievement of 60 min a day of MVPA were female gender, chronic diseases, overweight/obesity, non-participation in organized sports, and a decrease in the average air temperature. This study evidences the insufficient level of preventive measures and requires an intensification of health education among the Ukrainian population. When developing preventive measures, special attention should be paid to groups vulnerable to MVPA reduction as children who have chronic diseases and/or overweight/obesity as well as non-participation in sports.
Summary. Getting enough sleep is essential for the physical and mental health of children and adolescents, therefore, the study of the impact of stress factors in this direction is relevant. The aim of the study was to study the characteristics of sleep in school-age children with various psycho-emotional statuses during the introduction of strict quarantine measures and after a lockdown compared to the period before the pandemic. Materials and methods. The analysis of sleep characteristics and mental health status in 2592 school-age children (1407 boys, 1185 girls) was carried out. The retrospective study was based on the results of the assessment using the DON questionnaire and during a pandemic was the RCADS-P-25 questionnaire. SPSS Statistics v.26.0 was used for statistical performance. Results. The proportion of school-age children with depressive manifestations during the pandemic increased by 13.3% (p <0.001) compared to the period before the pandemic and it is 21.5 ± 2.0% in 2021. The proportion of children with anxiety disorders is 6.9 ± 1.3% that corresponds to the period before the pandemic. It was determined an increase in the school-age children duration of sleep during the lockdown compared with other periods of the study by 30-40 minutes/day (p <0.001). It was found that during the lockdown period in 2021, the sleep duration of school-age children decreased by 5.5% compared to the data in 2020 (p <0.01). In the group without anxiety-depressive disorders after the lockdown, the sleep duration significantly decreased, and in the group with mental health disorders, the sleep duration did not statistically differ from the level established during the strict quarantine restrictions. Sleep quality disorders during the lockdown were detected in 29.8 ± 2.6% of children in the surveyed cohort, and in the period after the lockdown - in 31.5 ± 4.0%. In the group of children with anxiety-depressive disorders, a decrease in the duration of sleep was found in all periods of the study. Conclusions. A decrease in the duration of sleep with an increase in the proportion of children with depressive disorders in the second year of the pandemic indicates negative trends in the mental health of school-age children and requires improved preventive measures.
Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic including social isolation was a stress trigger for adaptation systems in different population groups. Therefore, the study of these processes is relevant. Since the lack of communication is one of the risk factors the non-communicable diseases, as well as mental health disorders, and this relationship is bidirectional, the purpose of our study was to study the impact of social communication of school-age children with different metabolic statuses on their mental health during adaptation to the effects of stress factors. Materials and methods. The anthropometric indicators and characteristics of communication of 114 school children (56 boys, 58 girls, average age 12.3±0.2 years) were studied. Informed consent was obtained from the parents. The weekly survey of the anxiety-depressive signs (TDS) was conducted using the RCADS-P-25 questionnaire during the 5 weeks after the lockdown lifted. ANOVA, crosstabulation tables, and a multiple linear regression model were used to determine the relationships between variables. The STATISTICA 8.0 program was used for statistical analysis. Results. Among school-age children of the surveyed cohort, the proportion of overweight and obese children was 26.3±4.1 %. 34.6±4.7 % of students had communication difficulties with their peers. It was established that overweight and obese children had significantly higher TDS levels than the normal-weight group throughout the study (F=10.9; p<0.001). It was determined that TDS values were significantly higher in the group of children who had difficulties with "live" communication with peers (F=17.6; p<0.001). The highest values of TDS were determined in children who communicated in social networks for 4 hours or more or did not communicate at all, and the lowest indicators were found in children who communicated for 1-2 hours a day (F=9.6; p<0.001). There was no statistically significant influence of the frequency of communication in social networks on TDP values (p>0.6). Conclusions. Communication in social networks with peers lasting 1-2 hours was a favorable adaptation factor in this study, while "live" communication difficulties and overweight/obese were unfavorable, which requires additional study. It is necessary to develop both the communication skills of school-age children and the culture of communication in social networks.
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