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Student Health Implications of School Closures during the COVID-19 Pandemic: New Evidence on the Association of e-Learning, Outdoor Exercise, and Myopia.
Liu, Ji; Li, Baihuiyu; Chen, Qiaoyi; Dang, Jingxia.
  • Liu J; Faculty of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
  • Li B; Faculty of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
  • Chen Q; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
  • Dang J; The First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
Healthcare (Basel) ; 9(5)2021 Apr 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1202258
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced many education systems to consider alternative remote e-learning modalities, which have consequential behavioral and health implications for youth. In particular, increased e-learning engagement with digital screens and reduction in outdoor activities are two likely channels posing adverse risks for myopia development. This study investigated the association between e-learning screen use, outdoor activity, lighting condition, and myopia development among school-age children in China, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 3405 school-age children attending primary, lower-secondary, and upper-secondary schools in China. Univariate parametric and nonparametric tests, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used. Findings show that each diopter hour increase in daily e-learning screen use is significantly associated with progression of myopia symptoms (OR 1.074, 95% CI 1.058-1.089; p < 0.001), whereas engaging in outdoor exercise four to six times per week (OR 0.745, 95% CI 0.568-0.977; p = 0.034) and one to three times per week (OR 0.829, 95% CI 0.686-0.991; p = 0.048) is associated with a lower likelihood of myopia progression than none at all. In addition, we found that indoor lighting that is either "too dim" (OR 1.686, 95% CI 1.226-2.319; p = 0.001) or "too bright" (OR 1.529, 95% CI 1.007-2.366; p = 0.036) is significantly associated higher likelihood of myopic symptoms. Findings in this study uncover the less observable vision consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on youths through digital online learning and highlight the importance of considering appropriate mitigation strategies to deal with this emerging public health challenge.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic study Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Healthcare9050500

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic study Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Healthcare9050500