Introduction  

At the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, Kazakhstan’s system of education achieved significant success in preserving the health of schoolchildren. A legislative foundation was created to facilitate more effective health care for the younger generation. However, there are still unresolved issues related to maintaining and strengthening the health of primary school students. These problems have both external aspects, such as study overload, school stress, inadequate physical activity, the absence of hot meals in schools, and insufficient competence of educators and parents in health care, as well as internal aspects, including a lack of knowledge in Valeology (Health study) among pupils, and the spread of harmful habits and dependencies among them. Solving internal problems is the highest priority because it allows children to cope with many external unfavorable factors, which, along with external factors, require urgent attention from both parents and educational institutions, as well as society as a whole. According to study “Behavior of school-aged children regarding their health” by HBSC (2022) several indicators require immediate reaction, such as improving parental skills in raising adolescents, improving the school’s psycho-emotional climate within the entire school community, the physical environment in schools for healthy eating, physical activity of schoolchildren during the day, and psychological support, increasing children’s resilience, special attention to girls’ needs and health, limiting time spent on the internet and social networks, strict control over potentially dangerous online content, focusing on good oral hygiene, active prevention of smoking, e-cigarette use, alcohol, cannabis among schoolchildren, education on reproductive health issues, contraception, and the fight and prevention of bullying and cyberbullying”​​ [1].

Issues related to a healthy lifestyle formation and the protection of children’s health are reflected in such fundamental documents as the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child [2, 3], the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On approval of the national project “High-quality and affordable healthcare for every citizen “Healthy Nation” [4, 5]. These regulatory documents are focused on the formation of a healthy lifestyle and health-saving behavior of the younger generation. Today, the children’s health and the formation of a healthy lifestyle culture is the main factor in ensuring the health of the younger generation [6].

The period of primary school appears to be a particularly important stage for the formation of health preserving culture and pupils’ personal development. Therefore, the task of finding effective methods for maintaining health and developing a healthy lifestyle among schoolchildren from the beginning of primary school age is urgent and necessary.

Literary review

As part of the research on ensuring the mental well-being of students studied the impact of schools on risky behavior of students, which negatively affects their health [7]. His study showed that a favorable school climate and the availability of health and social services reduce the manifestations of risky behavior among students. This confirms the need to support psychological and social services in schools, as pointed out by some researchers [8].

There are also studies related to physical health state in connection with a healthy diet aimed at preventing modern children’s overweight and obesity. In this regard, researchers have identified a link between a sedentary lifestyle and cardiometabolic health, including obesity problems and mental health [9]. The researchers noted possible gender differences in factors affecting sedentary lifestyle among adolescents. It was found that the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle among adolescents composed about 30%, what is more, factors such as high academic performance, full-time study, consumption of sugary drinks and fast food, substance use, loneliness and suicidal behavior were associated with this lifestyle.

Currently, the number of studies in different countries of the world aimed at analyzing changes in the school atmosphere is increasing. For example, a study revealed a link between a positive school atmosphere and emotional problems decrease, as well as an improvement of children’s mental well-being [6, 10].

Other studies, focus on student nutrition, emphasizing the importance of increasing lunch time [11, 12]. This factor helps to reduce pupils’ hunger, improve concentration and behavior in the classroom.

In this regard in a study [13, 14] it is recommended to provide physical exercise programs in the educational process and encourage the participants as one of the effective ways to support learners’ mental and emotional well-being. This recommendation is based on the data described in a research which confirm the interrelation between physical activity and the subjective well-being of students, who established a link between feasible and intense physical activity with higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction [15, 16].

The development and creation of approaches to the formation of learners’ value orientations towards a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the behavioral risks in future that arise during the socialization of each child. At the same time, it is important to solve this problem precisely during primary education since primary school age is the most sensitive for the formation of value orientations towards a healthy lifestyle.

This process becomes possible due to the inclusion of programs implementing health-saving technologies in secondary schools’ activity, in the result of which certain experience in this field is gained, while special attention is paid to updating the content, selecting techniques and tools, the specifics of the organization of educational and extracurricular activity dedicated to the formation of schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle, including primary school pupils. 

Health-saving technologies are a set of all techniques, methods, and technologies used in the educational process that not only protect the health of learners and teachers from the adverse effects of educational environment factors, but also contribute to the education of a health culture among schoolchildren [13, 17].

In this regard a researcher identifies several groups of health-saving educational technologies that are based on different approaches to maintaining health and, therefore, use different methods and forms of work. He classifies them into medical - hygienic, physical - health-improving, environmental - health-saving and technologies aimed at ensuring the life safety [14, 18].

During the experimental work, a variable course “Secrets of health” was implemented into extracurricular activity. The results of the experiment showed a significant increase in indicators of the level of formation of primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle skills according to three criteria: completeness of knowledge, ideas and concepts about the essence of healthy lifestyle; depth of understanding of the social and personal significance of healthy lifestyle; behavioral habits and attitudes corresponding to a healthy lifestyle.

Materials and Methods

The experimental group included 67 pupils, and the control group included 58 ones. The main purpose of the experimental work was to test the variable course “Secrets of health’ within the framework of the model of formation of primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle skills in extracurricular activity. Based on this goal, the tasks of the formative experiment were defined: the development and application of a system of measures, the determination of the most effective forms and methods of forming primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle skills. At the formative stage of the experimental work within the framework of extracurricular activity, the course “Secrets of health” was implemented and approbated. To determine the level of primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle literacy, understanding a healthy lifestyle and the degree of adequacy of their behavior to a healthy lifestyle, self-assessment methods were used, in particular, specially prepared  tests, questionnaires, and surveys.

The corresponding levels of formation of primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle skills were identified: low, medium, high (Table 1).

In order to statistically process the results of the study, the method of mathematical statistics - the Chi-square criterion was used.

Results and Discussion

At the ascertaining stage of the experiment, we analyzed the school experience and creative work of primary schoolchildren. As a result of the analysis, it was found that primary schoolchildren do not understand many aspects of a healthy lifestyle well. Diagnostics of the formation of healthy lifestyle skills of primary school age learners was carried out on the basis of an assessment of dynamic objective changes from the ascertaining to the control stage of the experimental work.

During the observation, the following indicators were emphasized:

• the specifics of behavior corresponding to a healthy lifestyle (the activity of responding to the education of a healthy lifestyle, the desire to perceive material about a healthy lifestyle, passionate attention to it, the absence of distractions, arbitrary and involuntary attention, the occurrence of problems in the process of extracurricular activity, etc.);
• adaptability and the nature of behavior to lead a healthy lifestyle (independent judgment on a topic of interest about a healthy lifestyle, voluntary and willing homework, reading additional literature that expands the level of healthy lifestyle).
• features of the student's lifestyle, which are changing under the influence of increased interest in a healthy lifestyle and activities in this direction.

The diagnosis was carried out according to three criteria characterizing the level of formation of healthy lifestyle skills:

1. awareness of primary schoolchildren about the main factors contributing to a healthy lifestyle (reflects the completeness of knowledge, ideas and concepts about the essence of healthy lifestyle);
2. understanding the main factors contributing to a healthy lifestyle (reflects the depth of understanding of the social and personal significance of healthy lifestyle);
3. behavior consistent with a healthy lifestyle (reflects behavioral habits and attitudes consistent with a healthy lifestyle).

The results of the ascertaining stage showed that the level of formation of healthy lifestyle skills in primary school students of the experimental and control groups is approximately the same. The diagnostic work carried out has shown that primary schoolchildren believe that good health is a good physical condition of the body, while they do not show a stable interest to their own health, do not know how to strengthen and enrich it, do not regulate activities to preserve it. The results obtained during the survey and testing of participants of the experimental work determine the need for a purposeful and organized pedagogical influence on the process of forming primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle skills.

Based on the above set of conditions, a model for the formation of primary schoolchildren healthy lifestyle skills was developed (Figure 1).

The course content included 7 sections, the content of each is consistently disclosed in the corresponding topics of the section (Figure 2).

The course program pays special attention to folk games as one of the most effective ways to develop and enrich schoolchildren’s language and thinking. The action in each game is accompanied by an oral statement of the child. For example, during the extracurricular activity “Gert to know yourself and the others”, we used the game “Sanamak” (counting game), which introduces a primary school pupil to the Kazakh life, creates a vision of the environment, helps to remember the names of the organs of the human body. For the reason the game involves all auditory, visual, motor-motor, sensory analyzers are involved, during the game they most effectively memorize new ideas about a healthy lifestyle, acquire a healthy lifestyle skills.

During the course, in order to consolidate the material and control the dynamics in the formation of healthy lifestyle skills, special practical work of a generalizing nature was applied. For example, after studying the sections “Daily routine”, “Proper nutrition”, primary schoolchildren were asked to independently create an individual daily routine list, prepare elementary healthy dishes, easy to cook taking into account the rules of hygiene and technical safety.

The most effective for forming the ability to lead a healthy lifestyle were the organization of extracurricular activities dedicated to celebrating Nauryz Meyrami, Health Day, sports holidays (based on national outdoor games), and the extracurricular educational lesson “Journey to the Land of Healthy Lifestyle”. These allowed primary schoolchildren to test their specialized knowledge in playful and practical classes, thereby strengthening their healthy lifestyle skills. Such summarizing extracurricular hours were usually conducted after studying each section. Notably, the proverb and saying contest “Beware of Bad Habits” was held, where young learners solved riddles, read poems, and told proverbs about health. At the end of the summarizing class hours, primary schoolchildren were offered to answer survey questions, conduct a self-analysis of their health and lifestyle.

The activities implemented during the formative stage were aimed at acquiring the skills of primary schoolchildren to control their health, regulate activities, realize their own role in strengthening and maintaining their health and responsibility for it in order to form a clear and informed position towards a healthy lifestyle.

The control stage of the experimental work

At the control stage of the experimental work, we carried out a repeated diagnosis of the formation of primary schoolchildren healthy lifestyle in the experimental and control groups. The evaluation of the results was carried out according to the previous parameters. The results of the performed diagnostics on identifying the level of healthy lifestyle skills formation are presented in Tables 2 and 3.

As the results of the control stage showed, in the experimental group, the percentage of primary schoolchildren with high level of awareness of the main factors contributing to a healthy lifestyle increased noticeably: physical activity (outdoor games, sports activities, physical education classes) - from 7.5% to 13.4%, tempering - from 6% to 11%, observance of the daily routine - from 10,4% to 17,9%, balanced diet - from 9% to 16,4%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 4,5% to 11,9%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions - from 4,5% to 7,5%. At the same time, the proportion of primary schoolchildren with the intermediate level of awareness of healthy lifestyle issues also grew up significantly according to these factors: physical activity rose - from 34,3% to 62,7%, tempering - 38, 8% to 47,1%, daily routine observance - from 46,3% to 73,2%, balanced diet - from 37,3% to 64,2%, personal hygiene keeping - from 47, 8% to 70,2%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 41,8% to 61,2%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions -  from 40,3% to 56,7%. The low level of awareness among primary schoolchildren also decreased considerably: the share of participants with low awareness of physical activity lessened from 58,2% to 23,9%, tempering  - from 55,2. % to 17.9%, daily routine observance -from 43,3% to 8,9%, keeping balanced diet - from 53,7% to 19,4%, personal hygiene observance - from 38,8% to 8,9%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 53,7% to 26,9%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions - from 55,2% to 35,8%.

In the control group, there was only a slight trend towards positive changes according to the criterion of awareness of primary school students about the main factors contributing to a healthy lifestyle. The share of schoolchildren with high level grew up according to the awareness of the factors: physical activity (outdoor games, sports activities, physical education classes) - from 7% to 8,6%, tempering from - 4,2% to 5.2, observance of the daily routine - from 10,2% to 15,5%, balanced diet - from 10.2% to 12,1%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 4,5% to 11,9%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions - from 4,2% to 5,2%. At the same time, the percentage of participants with the intermediate level of awareness of healthy lifestyle issues also rose insignificantly: according to the awareness of the factor of physical activity it grew up from 32,3% to 43,1%, tempering - from 40% to 48,3%, observance of the daily routine - from 40,3% to 41,4%, balanced diet - from 38% to 43,1%, personal hygiene - from 44,3% to 46, 4%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 40,9% to 46,5%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions 40,9% to 44,8%. 

In the experimental group, we can also note the evident positive changes in increase of the levels of formation of primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle skills according to the criteria “Understanding the main factors contributing to a healthy lifestyle”. The percentage of students with the high level of understanding of the factors contributing to a healthy lifestyle of elementary school students increased as follows: physical activity (outdoor games, sports activities, physical education classes) - from 6% to 11,9%, tempering - from 4,5% to 39%, observance of the daily routine - from 9% to 16,4%, balanced diet - from 7,5% to 11.9%, personal hygiene - from 10,4% to 19,4%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 3% to 10,4%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions-  from 3% to 7,5%.  The intermediate  level of understanding of healthy lifestyle factors among primary schoolchildren of the experimental group also increased significantly: physical activity - from 29,8% to 58,2%, tempering – 34,3% from to 29,7%, observance of the daily routine - from 41,8% to 65,7%, balanced diet - from 32,8% to 61,2%, personal hygiene – from 43,3% to 67,2%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 37,3% to 68,7%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions from 35,8% to 44,8%. There was also a significant decrease in the low level of understanding of healthy lifestyle factors: physical activity - from 64,2% to 29,9%, tempering - from 61,2% to 31,3%, observance of the daily routine - from 49,2% to 17,9%, balanced diet - from 59,7% to 26,9%, personal hygiene - from 46,3% to 13,4%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 59,7% to 20,9%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions - from 61,2% to 47,7%.

Changes in behavior corresponding to a healthy lifestyle of primary schoolchildren in the experimental group showed significant positive dynamics: the percentage of participants with the high level of behavior consistent with a healthy lifestyle in terms of physical activity increased from 4,5% to 7,5%, tempering – from  3% to 4,5%, observance of the daily routine - from 7,5% to 40,5%, balanced diet  -from 6% to 7,5%, personal hygiene - from 9% to 16,4%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 91 to 95,5%, the ability to control yourself and your emotions from 3% to 4,5%. In the control group, changes in behavior corresponding to a healthy lifestyle were also fixed down. There was an increase in the percentage of schoolchildren with the high and intermediate levels of behavior corresponding to a healthy lifestyle, while the overall dynamics of a decrease in the percentage of participants with the low level of appropriate behavior.  The percentage of students with the high level of behavior corresponding to a healthy lifestyle in terms of physical activity  increased from 4,9% to 6,9%, tempering - from 2,8% to 3,4%, observance of the daily routine - from 7,6% to 8,6%, balanced diet - from 5,7% to 6,9%, personal hygiene - from 8,8% to 13,8%, preventing and avoiding bad habits - from 91,8% to 94,8%, the ability to hold yourself, your emotions -  from 3,4% to 6,9%. The dynamic of changes of the studied qulity and level indicators of primary schoolchildren who have developed healthy lifestyle skills (the development of ideas about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, the degree of awareness of the social and personal importance of a healthy lifestyle, the stability of behavior, a decent healthy lifestyle) are presented in Figure 3.

 

Figure 3. Comparative analysis of levels of primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle skills at the ascertaining and control stages of the experiment (experimental and control groups)

 

Thus, the effectiveness of extracurricular activity organized on the basis of the extracurricular activity program for primary schoolchildren “The Secret of Health”, was experimentally confirmed, and proved to contribute to formation of primary schoolchildren’s healthy lifestyle.