IMPACT OF E-LEARNING ON PEDIATRIC LIFESTYLE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) affects our lifestyle globally, especially while the lockdown. E-learning becomes essential worldwide to limit the pandemic. In this circumstance children tend to spend more time using the Internet for studying purposes and entertainment, Subsequently, the prevalence of obesity increased from 8.9% to 11.5% (10). Furthermore, a study was accomplished in Switzerland.75 percent of children, and up to 100 percent of adolescents have a tendency to utilize screen time, throughout detention, and the proportion of children who engage in less than two hours of light physical activity each day has doubled (3). There are insufficient studies performed in Saudi Arabia so we endeavored to decline the negative impact of E-learning on childrens lifestyles. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study will be conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at primary healthcare centers. The data will be entered into an Excel sheet and analyzed by SPSS. Results: A total of 857 participants were included in the current study. Physical activity decreased among 453 (52.9%) and increased among 201 (23.5%). 720 (84%) reported changes in sleep habits during the pandemic, and 346 (40.4%) reported sleep disturbance. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the learning and lifestyle of children. It resulted in the tendency and increase in E-learning and an increase in physical activity and eating habits. This can be considered a positive impact on childrens learning and behavior.