Features of nutrition of school-age children during the period of distance learning

Background. The study of the nutritional characteristics of school-age children during the period of distance learning is of undoubted interest, taking into account the demand for such a form of organ-ization of the educational process during the current difficult epidemiological situation. The change in lifestyle that occurs during the implementation of distance education also affects the nutritional factor. In this regard, the analysis of the nutritional structure of schoolchildren receiving distance education is one of the urgent tasks and can be considered as the basis for the formation of recom-mendations for organizing children’s nutrition when receiving education at home in order to prevent alimentary-dependent disorders. Objective. Comparative analysis of the nutritional characteristics of school-age children with dis-tance and traditional forms of educational process in general educational organizations. Methods. In order to study the organization of nutrition for school-age children questionnaires de-veloped at the Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology taking into account the specifics of the organization of the educational process were used. To fill out the questionnaires a virtual platform was used. 6185 people from various regions of the Russian Federation with distance learning (main group), as well as 1123 schoolchildren from the Central, Siberian, Ural, Far Eastern federal districts who received education in the traditional form (comparison group) took part in the survey. In total, actual nutrition was studied in 7308 school-age children. Results. It was found that during distance learning every second child received hot meals 2 times a day less than, 42% of children changed their appetite, in 17% it became selective; in 15% it increased, in 10% it decreased. Additional meals (in the form of snacks) 1 times a day occurred in 11%, 2 times a day - in 39%, 3 times a day - in 30%, and more than 4 times a day - in 20%. There were revealed significant differences in the consumption of products - sources of protein of animal origin between the two compared groups of schoolchildren. Distance learning schoolchildren were less likely to consume products such as liquid fermented milk products, cottage cheese, and significantly less fish. At the same time, with distance learning, eggs were significantly more often included in the diet every day (43.4% and 10.9% in distance and traditional learning, respectively). Significant differences were also found between the two compared groups for the consumption of foods - sources of carbohydrates. In the main group, there was a decrease in the frequency of con-sumption of cereals, vegetables, fruits, nuts. Pasta, juices, potatoes were significantly more often consumed by children who were on distance learning. When assessing the consumption of sugar, chocolate, chips (crackers), and sugary carbonated drinks, a significant increase in their consumption in the period of distance learning also was shown, which serves as a vivid evidence of a decrease in parental control and a lack of healthy eating habits in children. Conclusion. The data obtained indicate the need for widespread introduction of educational pro-grams on healthy nutrition among school-age children and their parents into practice, with an empha-sis on their practical implementation at home and taking into account various forms of organization of the educational process.

school-age children, food consumption, distance learning