Analysis of Participation of Schoolchildren in Extracurricular Activities and the Health Aspect of their Routine: Results of a Sociological Survey

Abstract

Introduction: Extracurricular activities are an important tool of preparing children for a successful life, setting essential core values, and identifying professional preferences. Student participation in after-school educational programs determines the density of elements contributing to acquiring new skills, knowledge, and physical capabilities in their daily routine. Objective: To assess the coverage of schoolchildren with supplementary education and to give a hygienic assessment of their extracurricular activities. Materials and methods: We analyzed data of the Internet-based survey of over 46,000 schoolchildren from 64 regions of the Russian Federation conducted in January – March 2021 using a standard Excel package and Statistica 10. Results: We estimated a smaller coverage of schoolchildren of all age groups with after-school sports (33.1–43.0 %) than with other types of activities, including circles/sections and studios (39.4–62.6 %). We established that 35 % of the respondents did not participate in extracurricular activities at all, with the largest and smallest proportions of such students in grades 9–11 (45.5–47.3 %) and grades 3–5 (27.7%–28.4 %), respectively. On average, 17.6 % of the respondents reported having regular classes with a tutor; the proportion of children attending tutorials was higher among school graduates and tended to increase with school age from 7.5 to 46.2 %. The proportion of eleventh graders studying with tutors was 35.9 % higher than that attending sports clubs. It should be noted that 20.7 % of the respondents reported having no walk on school days, except walking to school and back home, and the share of such children increased with age. Conclusion: Our study revealed age-specific characteristics of extracurricular activities and leisure of schoolchildren, availability and demand for supplementary educational services, and demonstrated the lack of skills of effective after-school time planning in modern students.