Some aspects of the state of student health in connection with the use of distance education technologies

ABSTRACT

Introduction. Distance education means a way of organizing education based on the use of information and communication technologies which make it possible to perform remote learning without a direct face-to-face contact between a teacher and students. The new coronavirus pandemic has caused distance learning to become a reality in the modern education system. However, in the course of application of such a teaching format, it has been revealed electronic digital devices to negatively affect students’ health. However, in the course of such a teaching format, there emerge certain negative factors which influence on the student health. In this regard, there is a need for up-to-date hygiene standards that promote the regulation of education based on distance technologies. The study objective. To assess the impact of distance learning on the health of students of general educational institutions. Materials and methods. 135 students of grades 6–8, 10 of general educational organizations were surveyed to identify the features of learning mode and daily routine in general, the information education during distance learning and deviations from the normal state of health. An ophthalmological examination was performed using a Shin Nippon XL-1 hand-held slit lamp, OMEGA 500 Unplugged Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscope, ophthalmological tonometer «TVGD-02», hardware and software complex KPA-01 «Zrenie». Results. A revealed negative tendency indicates to the deterioration of the students’ vision over a short period of distance education (November–December 2020) in general educational institutions of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Besides, distance learning triggers physical and emotional overload as well as mental overstrain. Limitations. The impact of distance learning on children and adolescents’ health was studied on a group of students in grades 6–8, 10 of two general educational institutions in Nizhny Novgorod, which is a sufficiently representative sample. Conclusion. The obtained results of the study can be used to support the hygienic requirements for the management of distance learning in general educational institutions. © 2022 Izdatel'stvo Meditsina. All rights reserved.