COVID-19 lockdowns and children's health and well-being.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Malik S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9448635 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
COVID-19 lockdowns and children's health and well-being.
Malik Samreen S Mihm Benedikt B von Suchodoletz Antje A
Journal Of Economic Psychology 20220907
This paper studies the health and well-being of children during the COVID-19 lockdowns in a developing country context. Using surveys for low-income households in rural areas of Pakistan, we find that lockdowns are associated with worsened health and well-being of children. Exploring potential economic and noneconomic mechanisms behind this negative association, we find that children participating in the labor market due to extreme poverty suffer the worst impact from lockdowns. These results ca ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented pressure on societies and healthcare systems around the world. Over the last years, measures imposed in almost all countries dealing with the pandemic sent the entire world into an extensive crisis and thus into a deep global recession. Since the outbreak began, many European countries have faced three/four waves of pandemic. Portugal has mainly dealt with three waves (March/April'2020; October/November'2020; January/February'2021), the third being the deadliest one. The purpose of this article is to provide evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 on health-related quality of life (HRQol) and well-being (W-B) of Portuguese citizens. It aims to (i) characterize these outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic; (ii) compare them to pre-COVID-19 Portuguese population; and (iii) identify the social determinants that may affect these outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis study used data from a survey that collected data on HRQoL, W-B, satisfaction with life, economic and labour impacts, access to healthcare, mental and physical health, amongst others. The survey was implemented by telephone to a representative random sample of 1,255 respondents from the general adult Portuguese population, stratified by sex, age group and region. Data was collected during the end of the second national lockdown. For comparison purposes, we have also used two other representative databases from the general Portuguese population: (i) data from before the pandemic (n = 1,006); and (ii) data from a survey conducted during the first lockdown, (n = 904).ResultsLooking at health and access to healthcare, 4% of citizens had their surgeries postponed or cancelled because of COVID-19, more than a quarter had medical appointments or complementary exams postponed or cancelled, with 7% over 65 years old with surgeries cancelled or postponed and 32% medical appointments. COVID-19 pandemic also impacted negatively on the HRQoL of citizens, especially in the first lockdown. Half of the respondents reported feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge, about 45% of citizens felt sad or depressed. Sleeping problems were reported for almost 39% of citizens, and loneliness is reported by 29% of citizens. For about 70-85% of citizens, these feelings were more so than before the pandemic. Citizens with fair/strong economic stability were the most economically affected by the pandemic.ConclusionsWe provided evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on health and W-B of Portuguese citizens. Their health was worse than before the pandemic and the access to healthcare was highly affected.
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Project description:ImportanceEnsuring the well-being of the 73 million children in the United States is critical for improving the nation's health and influencing children's long-term outcomes as they grow into adults.ObjectiveTo examine recent trends in children's health-related measures, including significant changes between 2019 and 2020 that might be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.Design, setting, and participantsAnnual data were examined from the National Survey of Children's Health (2016-2020), a population-based, nationally representative survey of randomly selected children. Participants were children from birth to age 17 years living in noninstitution settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia whose parent or caregiver responded to an address-based survey by mail or web. Weighted prevalence estimates account for probability of selection and nonresponse. Adjusted logistic regression models tested for significant trends over time.Main outcomes and measuresDiverse measures pertaining to children's current health conditions, positive health behaviors, health care access and utilization, and family well-being and stressors.ResultsA total of 174 551 children were included (annual range = 21 599 to 50 212). Between 2016 and 2020, there were increases in anxiety (7.1% [95% CI, 6.6-7.6] to 9.2% [95% CI, 8.6-9.8]; +29%; trend P < .001) and depression (3.1% [95% CI, 2.9-3.5] to 4.0% [95% CI, 3.6-4.5]; +27%; trend P < .001). There were also decreases in daily physical activity (24.2% [95% CI, 23.1-25.3] to 19.8% [95% CI, 18.9-20.8]; -18%; trend P < .001), parent or caregiver mental health (69.8% [95% CI, 68.9-70.8] to 66.3% [95% CI, 65.3-67.3]; -5%; trend P < .001), and coping with parenting demands (67.2% [95% CI, 66.3-68.1] to 59.9% [95% CI, 58.8-60.9]; -11%; trend P < .001). In addition, from 2019 to 2020, there were increases in behavior or conduct problems (6.7% [95% CI, 6.1-7.4] to 8.1% [95% CI, 7.5-8.8]; +21%; P = .001) and child care disruptions affecting parental employment (9.4% [95% CI, 8.0-10.9] to 12.6% [95% CI, 11.2-14.1]; +34%; trend P = .001) as well as decreases in preventive medical visits (81.0% [95% CI, 79.7-82.3] to 74.1% [95% CI, 72.9-75.3]; -9%; trend P < .001).Conclusions and relevanceRecent trends point to several areas of concern that can inform future research, clinical care, policy decision making, and programmatic investments to improve the health and well-being of children and their families. More analyses are needed to elucidate varying patterns within subpopulations of interest.
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