ABSTRACT

The studies were performed on 825 school-children 16-17 years old (512 girls and 313 boys) from first and second classes of secondary schools in some district towns in our country. 406 school-children attended public and 419 non-public schools. In the study was used a questionnaire worked out in the Institute for Children and Youth in Berlin. The analysis of the data collected by our co-workers of the District Sanitary - Epidemiological Stations enable the following conclusions: In both groups of pupils from the public and non-public secondary schools similar abnormalities in their everyday life detrimental for health were found. Improper dietary habits, sleep 356 E. Polus-Szeniawska Nr 3 deficits, short time for physical activity belonged to the most important and most frequent lifestyle abnormalities. 18% of the respondents went to school without eating breakfast at home, 19% took their breakfast not every day and 3% of the examined pupils don't eat breakfast at all. During the working-days 14% of pupils were eating no warm meal. This was the cause more frequent in pupils from non-public schools (19%) than from public schools (4%). 18% of the respondents were eating not always dinner on working days. 82% of pupils were going to bed too late: 49% after 10 o'clock p.m. and 34% after 11 o'clock p.m. Greater irregularities were found among boys (92%) than among girls (76%). 13% of pupils from the public and non-public schools spent only 30 minutes, the way to school included, in the fresh air and 54% pupils in the public schools and 43% in non-public schools - about 1 hour.