The Impact of the Pandemic on Children

The Impact of the Pandemic on Children The "International Nutrition, Health Literacy and Education Conference," organized by Sabri Ülker Foundation and held for the second time this year, took place on 11 February via digital platform. Experts in the field approached the topic of "Protecting Child Well-being During the Pandemic" from the perspectives of physical health, mental health, education, nutrition habits and digital life. Opening the conference, Hasan Atalay, Head of Student Affairs and Social Activities Department at the Directorate General of Basic Education, said the following: "During this period when face-to-face education was disrupted for a certain time in 2020 and 2021, we will continue with the same determination to keep our schools open. Starting from the undisputable fact that the importance of healthy body and mental health is a priority, our priority will be to place our children's health in the foreground and ensure that education and teaching activities continue uninterrupted." he said. The conference this year concluded with a panel in which four mothers participated and described how they managed the education process during the pandemic. At the 2nd International Nutrition, Health Literacy and Education Conference held under the auspices of Sabri Ülker Foundation, experts from Turkey and around the world gathered on a digital platform. At the conference, experts discussed children's education process during the pandemic this year, how children's mental health should be supported, negative effects on health and well-being, ways of coping with and protecting against difficulties, and digitalization issues. Sabri Ülker Foundation, which carries out projects with the aim of raising healthy generations, presented to participants the measures that could be taken and solution proposals from national and international experts to ensure that children are minimally affected by this process in living conditions that have changed with the pandemic. Hasan Atalay, Head of Student Affairs and Social Activities Department at the Directorate General of Basic Education of the T.R. Ministry of National Education, said: "We support every work that will ensure societal development for our children, the guarantee of our future" Hasan Atalay, Head of Student Affairs and Social Activities Department at the Directorate General of Basic Education of the T.R. Ministry of National Education, stated that they will continue efforts with determination to keep schools open during this period when face-to-face education was disrupted for a certain time in 2020 and 2021, and said the following: "Schools, in addition to academic learning, provide appropriate environments for students' mental and physical health, strengthening the attitudes and practical skills needed for students to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors throughout their lives. According to data disclosed by UNICEF, more than 168 million children worldwide experienced school closures that lasted nearly a year, with one in every 7 children globally missing more than three-quarters of their face-to-face education. The longer schools remain closed, the longer children are deprived of all critical elements of childhood. With this awareness and responsibility, our Ministry carries out many programs, activities, projects and works to create public awareness, particularly among children and young people, regarding school health activities. As the Ministry of National Education, I wish to state that we are engaged in intensive efforts to provide our children with quality educational environments where they can be happy and express themselves." he said.

Prof. Dr. Süleyman Sadi Seferoğlu: "Digital Obesity is Occurring"

Prof. Dr. Süleyman Sadi Seferoğlu from Hacettepe University said the following: "Particularly during the pandemic process, we are observing destructive effects related to increasing digitalization and technology use, especially in children. The time children spend in front of screens turning into addiction can cause problems in family and social life. 'Digital addiction,' a word heavily debated in recent years, can be defined as the individual's inability to control internet use, and experiencing problems in work, family and social life due to overuse. This situation is also a requirement of being digital parents. Guiding children, communicating openly with them, informing them about certain situations that could harm them, and directing them is essential. If loading the body with more calories than it needs causes obesity, then similarly loading the mind with more information/notifications than it can use can cause digital obesity."

Dr. Oğul Üner: "In 2020 Alone, Vision Problems in 6-8 Year-Old Children Increased 2-3 Times"

Dr. Oğul Üner from the Department of Ophthalmology at Casey Eye Institute noted that prolonged screen use has a serious impact on vision disorders and that they better understood this with the pandemic, stating the following: "According to a study published last year involving over 120,000 children, a 2-3 fold increase in myopia (inability to see distant objects clearly) was observed in 2020 alone. This difference was particularly pronounced in younger (6-8 year-old) children. We believe one of the biggest reasons for this is frequent screen use. In addition to glasses requirements, eye-related refractive errors can have other effects. Particularly in cases of advanced refractive error, deterioration, tears or detachment of the retinal tissue at the back of the eye that provides vision can be observed. For this reason, initial eye examination for every child and regular examinations for children wearing glasses are of great importance." he said. Among the conference participants, Prof. Hünkâr Korkmaz from Hacettepe University Faculty of Education said, "accessing tablets does not mean accessing education. When taking steps to solve the problem, we need to consult with children experiencing the problem and learn what they want," while Dr. Anita Lawrence from the Department of Nutrition at the University of Melbourne stated that recent global research on the effects of the COVID pandemic and related quarantines on children's and adolescents' diets has yielded extremely mixed results. Begüm Mutuş, General Director of Sabri Ülker Foundation, the host of the conference, stated that through this event, which the Foundation organized for the second time this year, they are attempting to raise public awareness by listening to experts on the healthiest ways to approach children during difficult periods like the pandemic. Mutuş emphasized that the Foundation will continue to produce projects that serve as examples in Turkey and Europe in conveying scientific information to society in the areas of healthy living and food. The conference featured speakers Prof. Dr. Hünkar Korkmaz from the Department of Educational Sciences at Hacettepe University, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Sadi Seferoğlu from the Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Education at Hacettepe University, Prof. Dr. Hilal Özcebe from the Department of Public Health at Hacettepe Medical Faculty, Prof. Dr. Didem Şöhretoğlu from the Department of Pharmaceutical Professional Sciences at Hacettepe University, Dr. Anita Lawrence from the Department of Nutrition, School of Agriculture and Food at the University of Melbourne, Prof. Alicia Sianes- Bautista from the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Extremadura, Jacqui Southey, Director of Child Rights Advocacy and Research in New Zealand, Dr. İdil Aksöz Efe from Chaplaincy Health Care, Ayça Demirel Koçer, Education Specialist from Üsküdar SEV Primary Education Institutions, Dr. Seyda Subaşı Singh from the Department of Education at the University of Vienna, Dr. Oğul Üner from the Department of Ophthalmology at Casey Eye Institute, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülşah Batdal Karaduman from the Department of Basic Education at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa, and Dr. Ece Varlık Özsoy, Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Literature at Akdeniz University.