Background. An increase in the proportion of physically active peoples is one of the public health priorities. Particular attention should be addressed to the adolescent group with regard to their sensitivity. The purpose of our study is to determine the overall level of physical activity (PA) of urban adolescents and to evaluate its components. Methods. The study included the results of a survey of 415 children aged 11–15 years from public schools in Ukraine. We have adapted the standardized questionnaire QAPACE, which allows characterizing the level of adolescent’s PA by indicators: type, duration, and intensity. Results. A sedentary lifestyle is typical for most Ukrainian urban adolescents. Only 30.8% of Ukrainian urban adolescents (45.4% of boys and 21.4% of girls; p<0.001) meet the recommended level of moderate-to-vigorous PA (at least 60 minutes per day). The chances to follow the recommended moderate-to-vigorous PA are almost 5 times higher in the group of adolescents exercising at their own wish and not by parents’ direction (OR = 4.96; 95% CI: 2.77–8.90; p<0.001). Girls have a 3.0 higher chance of not adhering to recommendations for duration of PA (OR = 3.01; 95% CI: 1.95–4.63). They are 2.5 times more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle (OR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.54–3.98) than boys. Conclusion. The obtained results are indicative of a lack of implementation of measures to increase physical activity, which requires public attention to this problem. A search for ways to improve public policy towards optimizing adolescents’ PA is still an urgent goal for scholars and practitioners. PA-promoting measures should be developed taking into account the impact of family traditions, accessibility of sports facilities, leisure, advertising, and other factors. The obtained results are the initial stage for developing the program of physical inactivity prevention.

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.

No abstract

For the effective and safe implementation of quarantine measures for the prevention of infectious diseases, it is necessary to a create the conditions for the maintenance of physical and mental health of the population, especially of the children and adolescents, the most vulnerable part of it. The monitoring of quarantine conditions, as well as a lifestyle of children with the identification of possible negative factors affecting the health of schoolchildren, is a prerequisite of it. Objective: We assessed the living conditions of school-age children during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Materials and methods: We analyzed the results of the online survey of the parents of 920 children and adolescents from all regions of Ukraine (497 boys and 432 girls). All respondents signed informed consent. Data were collected from April 17 to June 5, 2020. We applied STATISTICA 8.0 for statistical analysis. Results: Only (59.4±1.7)% of urban and (33.1±4.3)% of rural families with school-age children adhered to quarantine rules (p<0.001). The probability of the deviation from the quarantine rules is 1.7 times higher in rural regions than in urban ones (RR=1.65; CI 1.42-1.92; p<0.001), and 1.4 times higher in the parents with secondary education than in the parents with higher education (RR = 1.41; CI 1.22-1.62; p<0.001). (25.0±1.4)% of school-age children were determined not to leave their homes during the lockdown. About 60% of school-age children went for a walk 1-7 times a week (10-60 min/day). Proportion of children and adolescents with walk duration of more than 60 min/day with a frequency of 5-7 times a week during quarantine made up only (10.3±1.0)%, while before quarantine - 48.5%. Conclusions: Revealed trends demonstrate a need for the development and promotion of the measures for the rise of the population awareness on the importance of compliance with quarantine rules, taking into account demographic and social characteristics. It is necessary to develop ways to achieve optimal duration of outdoor walk for children.

Relevance. The introduction of the quarantine measures in Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic radically changed all aspects of children's lifestyles. Restricting of social contacts and traveling, the introduction of distance education are typical manifestations of quarantine measures’ application to schoolchildren. However, social distancing, the effects of the negative factors of distance education, and prolonged stress can threaten the health of school-age children both at the moment and have delayed consequences. The assistance of the optimal adaptation process to new conditions decreases risks to children’s health at various levels: physical, physical, social. Objective. Development of hygienic recommendations for saving the health of schoolchildren during the quarantine. Methods. Structural-logical and analytical methods were used, based on our own 20-year research and research by other authors, WHO, and CDC recommendations. The results of our research before and during the quarantine have been presented. Results. During the introduction of quarantine measures, the health of a schoolchild is formed under the influence of a complex of factors, among which a significant place is occupied by controlled ones: properly organized learning process, daily routine, including diet and drinking regime, ensuring sufficient physical activity and night rest. To ensure the optimal course of adaptation of children in conditions of social isolation, it is also necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of children, the peculiarities of the circadian rhythm of schoolchildren of different age groups, their physical and mental development. Conclusions. Maintaining and strengthening the health of children in quarantine depends on the individual characteristics of development and health of the child, the optimal organization of distance learning, ensuring sufficient duration of physical activity, sleep, screen time, optimization of nutrition, and water consumption schedule. The promotion of health maintenance and specific recommendations would help reduce the negative influence of the quarantine measures on the formation of children's health.

One of the most important indicators in the epidemiological studies of a particular population are the health stats for children and adolescents. The impact that environmental and behavioral factors on a single health characteristic is studied globally. However, there is a deficit of research studying comprehensive methods to health assessment. Therefore, the aim of our study is to develop just such a method of assessing health comprehensively. The psycho-physiological health characteristics of adolescents residing in the city of Kyiv and aged 12–15 years (n = 98), whose parents gave an informed consent for this study, have been studied. The construction of the comprehensive health index is based on a grouping of objective and subjective characteristics of health. We took into account blood pressure, pulse, body mass index, hand strength, hemoglobin oxygen saturation level and the level of well-being, normalizing them in the range from 0 to 1 and obtaining an integral estimate, as the average of all the components. In quantitative form, the indicator has a normal distribution and can be used as a variant in parametric statistical calculations. For non-parametric statistical methods, health index is proposed to be normalized on the interquartile range. Such a comprehensive health indicator can be the basis, upon which epidemiological studies are founded and to determine the preventive measures at different levels from individuals to populations. Keywords: adolescent health, comprehensive health indicator, health assessment methodology, direct and indirect health indicators, epidemiological studies. For citation: Polka NS, Hozak SV, Yelizarova OT, Stankevych TV, Parats AM. Hygiene and health research and adolescent health assessment: a new approach. Journal of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. 2019;25(3):337–9

The introduction of distance education (DE) challenged all participants in the educational process and it was impacting the well-being of children. The purpose of the study was investigating the impact of different forms of DE on values of anxiety and depression (A&D) in school-age children. Methods. An online survey of 760 respondents was conducted with use RCADS. All respondents signed informed consent. ANOVA was used for statistical analysis (STATISTICA 8.0). The models were adjusted for age and gender of respondents. Results. More than 20% of parents have reported their own and their children's high psychological stress during DE. The adaptation was easier and faster for respondents who were able to organize a virtual communication and got support from teachers. Pathological increase of the level A&D has been detected in 14.4±1.3% of respondents. There were 2.8 times more girls with clinical A&D than boys (p<0.001). The DE formats of "All-Ukrainian online school" and individual learning did not significantly affect the level of A&D in school-age children (p>0.5). DE in the form of tasks in messengers and social networks significantly increased the level A&D (p<0.001), and DE offline increased only the level of Anxiety (p<0.05). Reductions the level A&D have been identified in online lessons with the teacher and the schoolfellows (p<0.001). The chances of increasing the level of anxiety and depression in school-age children grow in 1.8 times when using non-interactive forms of education (OR=1.78; CI 1.17-2.69; p<0.01). Conclusions. Teacher support and online lessons help reduce psychological discomfort during distance education. The surveillance the mental health of children is required during the implementation of various forms of DE.

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.