The impact of distance learning on the health in schoolchildren (literature review)

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Abstract

Distance learning (Dl) is widespread in educational institutions. The COVID-19 epidemic has led to the transfer of only Dl to students in most countries of the world. However, the use of Dl is associated with a number of health risk factors.

The purpose of the review is to study the impact of Dl on the health in schoolchildren.

A literature search was conducted using PubMed and eLIBRARY.RU search engines. The initial search allowed identifying 21,745  reports, after an independent assessment by two experts, there are still 36 full-text publications containing original data on the impact on the health of schoolchildren.

The analysis of the topics of publications allowed establishing all publications to be devoted to the study of the impact of Dl on the health of students during the COVID-19 epidemic, which does not allow differentiating the impact of Dl on health from the influence of self-isolation and fear of covid disease. Most studies do not compare the detected changes in health status during traditional training. The main complaints of students during Dl were complaints of painful sensations in the eyes, decreased vision, headache, back and neck pain, sleep disorders, largely associated with hygienically irrational learning conditions. The revealed changes in mental status (anxiety, depressive manifestations) are largely determined not by the presence of Dl, but by the influence of self-isolation and fear of covid disease. The transition to Dl also led to an increase in body weight in a number of students, a decrease in physical fitness. More pronounced changes in the state of health were noted in schoolchildren of junior classes.

Conclusion. The identified adverse changes in the state of health in students can be minimized by the use of Dl in combination with traditional learning and compliance with hygienic requirements for its management.

Contribution:
Bobrisheva-Pushkina N.D. — the concept and design of the study, collection of material, editing;
Kuznetsova L.Yu. — collection of material, writing a text;
Onishchenko G.G. — the concept of the study, editing the final text.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgment. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: June 26, 2024 / Accepted: October 2, 2024 / Published: November 19, 2024

About the authors

Natalia D. Bobrisheva-Pushkina

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University)

Email: nbobrishevapushkina@mail.ru

PhD (Med.), Associate Professor of the Department of Human Ecology and Environmental Hygiene, Sechenov University, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

e-mail: nbobrishevapushkina@mail.ru

Lubov Yu. Kuznetsova

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University)

Email: noemail@neicon.ru

PhD (Med.), Associate Professor of the Department of Human Ecology and Environmental Hygiene, Sechenov University, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

Gennadij G. Onishchenko

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University)

Author for correspondence.
Email: ecolog.n@1msmu.ru

DSc (Med.), Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Human Ecology and Environmental Hygiene, Sechenov University, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

e-mail: ecolog.n@1msmu.ru

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