A survey on a sample of 3,000 Lombard children shows physical discomfort in 40% of primary school children. The spread of personal devices from an early age is alarming
The Italian Society of Lombardy Pediatric Primary Care (SICuPP Lombardia) in collaboration with a group of researchers from the University of Milan-Bicocca conducted a research on a sample of 3,000 Lombard children to understand how their habits changed with the lockdown. The research was carried out last year at the end of the 2020 lockdown period in children aged 1-5 and 6-10 and was re-proposed in May 2021 to find out how life habits and behaviors have changed, always in this age group. age. The picture that emerges from the 2021 results highlights some data of concern. «Nutrition and sleep – he says Weather in Marina Picca, scientific coordinator of the project and president of SICuPP Lombardia – continue to be put to the test. Compared to the 2020 data we have observed an improvement, but elements of concern persist ».
The power supply
With regard to nutrition in the 1-5 years and 6-10 years, the alterations already recorded in the first survey are confirmed in 25.6% and 36.3% of cases, respectively, with a frequent increase in out-of-meals. Sleep was still disturbed in 28.2% of the 1-5 year-olds and in 26.9% of the 6-10 year-olds.
What are the major ailments?
Frequent awakenings, nightmares, difficulty falling asleep are the most reported problems. Another interesting fact to focus on, analyzed only in 2021, is the presence of physical “malaise” disorders in about 40% of primary school children, especially headache, stomach ache, fatigue, eye disorders
Digital: always a lot and personal devices always first
Despite the resumption of school activities (remember that kindergarten and primary are the age groups that have maintained school attendance for a long time) the use of digital technology remains very high, even if it has certainly decreased compared to the period of lockdown of 2020, when it represented an important tool – we could say indispensable – to “take care of” or maintain the social activities of children, as well as to study. “The most relevant data – observes Marina Picca – is the increase from 2020 in the number of children with personal devices: in the 1-5 year range it has gone from 9.1% to 14.5%, in the older ones from 23.5% to 58.4% , levels unthinkable before the pandemic. These are very alarming numbers because we know that the possession of a digital instrument increases its use and also the control by the adult is more difficult ». Now the emergency has at least subsided, it is slowly returning to normal, but the devices have remained. “During the harsh lockdowns, tablets, PCs and smartphones were useful for older children to maintain contact with the outside world and for the little ones, useful tools were found to save a difficult family balance put to the test by the pandemic. Now, however, parents have to re-teach their children good habits, set usage limits to save time on real life »adds the expert.
Behaviors
“Irritability, anger, tantrums, listlessness are behaviors that parents had observed in 2020 and are confirmed in 2021, albeit with a slight decrease, – underlines Paola Manzoni, SICuPP Lombardia pediatrician – testifying to the persistence of a discomfort in children and families . A worrying fact is the appearance of fears in particular of the dark and of meeting other people ».
The school
But did the children miss school? «It seems so – says Chiara Bove, Bicocca University -: parents report that before the lockdown in April 2021 over 80% of the children in kindergarten and 95% of primary school were happy to go to school. The new school closure of April 2021 and the relative return to the DAD was greeted with sadness in 55.1% of children and 64.8% of adults. Given in contrast to the media stereotype that sometimes paints children happy because the school is closed ». Some data on DAD in primary school. «The hours of DAD have increased a lot in 2021 compared to 2020: from 1-2 hours of the first lockdown to 3-4 hours and even 5 hours in 14.7% of cases; a reduction in attention – continues Paolo Ferri, Bicocca University – during the DAD compared to the school in the presence it is reported in about 60% of children ». Not being able to play with other children was the limitation that weighed the most in all age groups. All this testifies to how sociability is a fundamental aspect for development and well-being in the developmental age and for the quality of daily life.
And in the family?
Especially for the school age, a worsening of the ratio of adults to children was observed (from 11.4% in 2020 to 21.6% in 2021), a figure in contrast to the “improvement” that emerged in 2020. The percentage of parents who declare that they do not “Being able to more” rises from 14.9% to 28.3% for parents of children 1-5 years and from 20.1% to 30.7% for those with children 6-10 years. This shows how the persistence of a critical situation due to the prolongation of the pandemic emergency, weighing in particular on working mothers (even in 2021, in fact, the percentage of mothers-respondents is 93.2% small and 93.5% large) negatively affects relationships and family well-being.
The future
Finally, a final open question was re-proposed: what are the concerns for the future? Among the first: What school will be like, the quality of learning and how changes in social relationships will affect the overall development of their children. As pediatricians and educational researchers, we believe that after a year of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the persistence of certain behaviors that testify to the “malaise” and “fragility” of the mental and physical health of children, the emotional fatigue of parents, the climate of uncertainty and growing difficulties in family relationships, the increase in the use of personal devices, are signs that should not be underestimated. «Children and families have once again demonstrated a strength and a capacity for“ systemic resilience ”, for an unpredictable reaction which, however, risks wearing out over time. In fact, we cannot exclude – concludes Marina Picca – that the changes in habits caused by the pandemic have had a certain influence in accentuating certain behaviors and habits that risk negatively affecting the quality of life, especially of children who live in families already in conditions of economic, social and cultural fragility. It is necessary to invest to support families by keeping together the dimension of “physical health” with that of the “socio-emotional well-being” of all members of the family unit. The pandemic has affected everyone, without distinction, but its effects today are by no means democratic ”.
September 9, 2021 (change September 9, 2021 | 20:37)
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