Objective: To estimate the associations between educational load and health, and elements of day's routine among Lithuanian schoolchildren, attending classes of first stage of basic education curriculum.
Material and methods: During 14-28 November, 2005, the study was performed in 108 secondary schools, providing basic secondary education in Lithuanian language. A total of 3744 schoolchildren and 1601 parents filled in an original, specially designed questionnaire.
Results: More than two-thirds of the schoolchildren (69.2%) estimated their health as very good or good, and 19.2% indicated that they were not ill during the last year. Schoolchildren who reported educational load to be too high estimated their health worse (P<0.001), were ill more frequently (P<0.001), and due health disorders had to limit their regular activities. Educational load had an impact on schoolchildren's well-being and relationships with parents. Elements of day's routine depended on gender, grade, and place of residence. Less than one-third (32.8%) of schoolchildren reported 9-10-hour night's sleep, 33.8%--spending 3 hours outdoors on workdays. Passive activities dominate during schoolchildren's leisure time. More than half of schoolchildren (60.3%) spend 2-3 hours watching television, 30.7%--2 or more hours working with computer on workdays.
Conclusions: Too high educational load have a negative impact on schoolchildren's health and well-being, relationships with parents. Schoolchildren with an adequate educational load follow recommendations of the day's routine more frequently.