Action and Reaction of Pre-Primary and Primary School-Age Children to Restrictions during COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece

Abstract

The fast-spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced countries to apply restrictive measures to counteract it. School closure was quickly adopted by health authorities. We aimed to investigate the compliance of children aged 4 to 12 years with the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and evaluate the impact of school closure on the children’s educational, social, economic, and psychological outcomes. An online survey was distributed through a social networking platform to parents of pre-primary and primary school-age children. The study period was defined as from 27 November 2020 to 3 December 2020, two weeks after the school closure due to the general lockdown in Greece. This study showed that the school units were well-informed and complied with the protection measures against COVID-19. The pupils quickly adopted the protection measures, even those whose parents suggested masks were less effective. The quarantine-forced school closure highly impacted primary school children’s physical activity, quality of sleep, psychological status, eating habits, academic performance, and household income. Web use showed an increase, with the children over-spending extracurricular time in web activities. Our study highlights the need for long term monitoring of these aforementioned indices, and the development of COVID-19 mitigation measures that carefully incorporate effectiveness and societal impact.

The aftermath of prolonged academic institutions’ closure: time to reopen safely

“…The lockdown and closure of educational institutes have demonstrated negative impacts on students' academic performance, physical activity, psychological well-being, eating habits, etc. [18]. The impact of the extended break from school on students' distance learning is still indefinite [19].…”

“…The impact of the extended break from school on students' distance learning is still indefinite [19]. It has been noticed that e-learning diminishes students' academic performance, especially in primary level students where handeye coordination is required [18]. Specifically, they are lagging in spelling skills and math computation.…”

“…A study revealed that 19% of primary and 25% of secondary level students are at the threat of learning loss owing to the closure of schools since March 2020 [20]. Also, due to the shutdown of schools, students can't perform extra-curriculum activities leading to their decreased physical activities [18]. They are leading a sedentary lifestyle; as a result, they are becoming prone to obesity and other chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some types of cancers [21].…”

“…Besides, isolation in this stressful environment is also hampering children's sleep quality. Parents have expressed that their children have manifested anxiety, fear, and poor sleep quality with nightmare disorders [18].…”

“…On the other hand, several children have developed poor eating habits during this pandemic. Out of stress, they are devouring foods rich in sugar and carbohydrates excessively and gaining over-weight consequently [18]. It has also been reported that the out-ofschool environment contributes to excessive weight gain in childhood [22].…”