Social contact patterns of school-age children in Taiwan: comparison of the term time and holiday periods

2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (6) ◽  
pp. 1139-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.-C. CHEN ◽  
Z.-S. YOU
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
School Closure ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
School Age ◽  
Skin Contact ◽  
Contact Patterns ◽  
Contact Behaviour ◽  
Contact Frequency

SUMMARYSchool closure is one of the most common interventions in the early weeks of an influenza pandemic. Few studies have investigated social contact patterns and compared individual student contact characteristics during the school term and holiday periods in Taiwan. Here, we conducted a well-used questionnaire survey in a junior high school (grades 7–8) in June 2013. All 150 diary-based effective questionnaires covering conversation and skin-to-skin contact behaviour were surveyed. Two questionnaires for each participant were designed to investigate the individual-level difference of contact numbers per day during the two periods. The questionnaire response rate was 44%. The average number of contacts during term time (20·0 contacts per day) and holiday periods (12·6 contacts per day) were significantly different (P < 0·05). The dominant contact frequencies and duration were everyday contact (89·10%) and contacts lasting less than 5 minutes (37·09%). The greatest differences occurred within the 13–19 years age groups. The result presented in this study provide an indication of the likely reduction in daily contact frequency that might occur if a school closure policy was adopted in the event of an influenza pandemic in Taiwan. Comparing contact patterns during term time and holiday periods, the number of contacts decreased by 40%. This study is the first research to investigate the contact numbers and contact characteristics for school-age children during the school term and a holiday period in Taiwan. With regard to public health, this study could provide the basic contact information and database for modelling influenza epidemics for minimizing the spread of influenza that depends on personal contacts for transmission.

scholarly journals The influence of risk perceptions on close contact frequency during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Wambua ◽  
Lisa Hermans ◽  
Pietro Coletti ◽  
Frederik Verelst ◽  
Lander Willem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Perceived Severity ◽  
Public Health Communication ◽  
Contact Behaviour ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Human behaviour is known to be crucial in the propagation of infectious diseases through respiratory or close-contact routes like the current SARS-CoV-2 virus. Intervention measures implemented to curb the spread of the virus mainly aim at limiting the number of close contacts, until vaccine roll-out is complete. Our main objective was to assess the relationships between SARS-CoV-2 perceptions and social contact behaviour in Belgium. Understanding these relationships is crucial to maximize interventions' effectiveness, e.g. by tailoring public health communication campaigns. In this study, we surveyed a representative sample of adults in Belgium in two longitudinal surveys (8 waves of survey 1 in April 2020 to August 2020, and 11 waves of survey 2 in November 2020 to April 2021). Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to analyse the two surveys. Participants with low and neutral perceptions on perceived severity made a significantly higher number of social contacts as compared to participants with high levels of perceived severity after controlling for other variables. Furthermore, participants with higher levels of perceived effectiveness of measures and perceived adherence to measures made fewer contacts. However, the differences were small. Our results highlight the key role of perceived severity on social contact behaviour during a pandemic. Nevertheless, additional research is required to investigate the impact of public health communication on severity of COVID-19 in terms of changes in social contact behaviour.

scholarly journals The impact of illness and the impact of school closure on social contact patterns.

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (34) ◽  
Author(s):  
KTD Eames ◽  
NL Tilston ◽  
PJ White, ◽  
E Adams ◽  
WJ Edmunds
Keyword(s):  
Social Contact ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Contact Patterns ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The Myopia Progression in School-Age Children after Home Quarantine Due to COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 922-925
Author(s):  
E. Yu. Markova ◽  
R. S. Isabekov ◽  
L. V. Venediktova
Keyword(s):  
School Curriculum ◽  
School Closure ◽  
World Health ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
World Population ◽  
School Age ◽  
Russian Government ◽  
Myopia Progression ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
The World

Myopia is an actual health issue in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that 50 % of the world population may be myopic by 2050. In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, the Russian government started a nationwide school closure as an emergency measure to prevent spreading of the infection since the 23rd of March 2020. The present study was organized to investigate prevalence of myopia in school-aged children during the COVID-19 home confinement in Moscow. The studied group included school-age children: pupils of 1, 5, 11th classes. The inclusion criteria were: myopia — refraction above –0.5 D in conditions of cycloplegia. The results of survey 523 pupils from Moscow schools, the proportion of patients with myopia was 20.1 %, while the proportion of patients with myopia among 1st class pupils was only 8.3 %. In 5th class, the rate was 16 %, in the 11th grade reached 42.1 %, i.e. increased more than 5 times. The trend with an increase in the number of children with myopia in the learning process is explained by the increased visual load of the high school curriculum. Home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to be associated with a significant myopic shift for children aged 6 to 8 years due to the visual load increase in and a decrease in time spent outdoors. Further research is needed to evaluate these results and long-term follow-up of these children.

scholarly journals The population attributable fraction of cases due to gatherings and groups with relevance to COVID-19 mitigation strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1829) ◽  
pp. 20200273
Author(s):  
Ellen Brooks-Pollock ◽  
Jonathan M. Read ◽  
Thomas House ◽  
Graham F. Medley ◽  
Matt J. Keeling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Attributable Fraction ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Attributable Fraction ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Contact Patterns ◽  
Contact Behaviour ◽  
Epidemiological Impact ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Relative Change

Many countries have banned groups and gatherings as part of their response to the pandemic caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Although there are outbreak reports involving mass gatherings, the contribution to overall transmission is unknown. We used data from a survey of social contact behaviour that specifically asked about contact with groups to estimate the population attributable fraction (PAF) due to groups as the relative change in the basic reproduction number when groups are prevented. Groups of 50+ individuals accounted for 0.5% of reported contact events, and we estimate that the PAF due to groups of 50+ people is 5.4% (95% confidence interval 1.4%, 11.5%). The PAF due to groups of 20+ people is 18.9% (12.7%, 25.7%) and the PAF due to groups of 10+ is 25.2% (19.4%, 31.4%). Under normal circumstances with pre-COVID-19 contact patterns, large groups of individuals have a relatively small epidemiological impact; small- and medium-sized groups between 10 and 50 people have a larger impact on an epidemic. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Modelling that shaped the early COVID-19 pandemic response in the UK’.

scholarly journals Oral health related quality of life and satisfaction with dental condition of school age children with dental pain in Ibadan, Nigeria.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folake Lawal ◽  
Gbemisola Aderemi Oke
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Dental Pain ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Background Pain of dental origin is a major reason why school age children seek dental care in low resource settings but how it affects their oral health related quality of life and satisfaction with dental condition remains under researched. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of dental pain on oral health related quality of life as well as its association with satisfaction with dental condition of school age children in Ibadan, Nigeria.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1006 pupils aged 9-12 years who attended randomly selected primary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. An interviewer administered questionnaire, Child–Oral Impact on Daily Performances inventory (C-OIDP) in addition to oral examination was used to obtain data. Analysis was done with SPSS version 23 and p value < 0.05 was considered significant.Results The prevalence of self-reported dental pain was 10.2%. The mean C-OIDP score was 2.6 (±7.2) overall and 9.8 (±12.4) for pupils with pain. About 68.9% of pupils with pain reported an impact on quality of life compared to 15.6% of those without dental pain (p < 0.001). Self-reported dental pain affected social, psychological and physical activities (p < 0.001). More children with dental pain (53.4%) were dissatisfied with their dental condition compared to those (12.8%) without dental pain (p < 0.001). Dental pain correlated with dissatisfaction with dental condition (rs = 0.32, p < 0.001). Among children with dental pain; those who were dissatisfied with their dental condition were more likely to report impairment in eating and enjoying food (OR=2.2, CI =1.1 - 4.1, p = 0.018) as well as in maintaining social contact (OR =3.1, CI =1.1 -9.1, p = 0.033).Conclusion Self-reported dental pain significantly impacted on all the domains of quality of life of the pupils and correlated positively with dissatisfaction with dental condition. Eating and enjoying food as well as maintaining social contact were significant predictors of dissatisfaction with dental condition among children with dental pain.

scholarly journals Effect of School Closure on the Incidence of Influenza among School-Age Children in Arizona

2010 ◽  
Vol 125 (6) ◽  
pp. 851-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen C. Wheeler ◽  
Laura M. Erhart ◽  
Megan L. Jehn
Keyword(s):  
School Closure ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age

scholarly journals Action and Reaction of Pre-Primary and Primary School-Age Children to Restrictions during COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Dimitra I. Siachpazidou ◽  
Ourania S. Kotsiou ◽  
Grigorios Chatziparasidis ◽  
Dimitrios Papagiannis ◽  
George D. Vavougios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Psychological Status ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Primary School Age ◽  
The Impact

The fast-spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced countries to apply restrictive measures to counteract it. School closure was quickly adopted by health authorities. We aimed to investigate the compliance of children aged 4 to 12 years with the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and evaluate the impact of school closure on the children’s educational, social, economic, and psychological outcomes. An online survey was distributed through a social networking platform to parents of pre-primary and primary school-age children. The study period was defined as from 27 November 2020 to 3 December 2020, two weeks after the school closure due to the general lockdown in Greece. This study showed that the school units were well-informed and complied with the protection measures against COVID-19. The pupils quickly adopted the protection measures, even those whose parents suggested masks were less effective. The quarantine-forced school closure highly impacted primary school children’s physical activity, quality of sleep, psychological status, eating habits, academic performance, and household income. Web use showed an increase, with the children over-spending extracurricular time in web activities. Our study highlights the need for long term monitoring of these aforementioned indices, and the development of COVID-19 mitigation measures that carefully incorporate effectiveness and societal impact.

scholarly journals An Online Cross-Sectional Survey on Oral Healthcare Among School-Age Children During COVID-19 Epidemic in Wuhan, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Li ◽  
Yuhong Li ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Han Jiang ◽  
Chenzheng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Parental Attitudes ◽  
Oral Health Status ◽  
School Closure ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dental Attendance

Background: Since the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the government of China adopted many measures which changed people's lifestyle including oral health-related lifestyle to control the transmission. The aim of this study was to investigate oral health status, oral healthcare behaviors, and parental attitudes toward oral healthcare among school-age children in Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak and what the status would be when the outbreak is under control.Methods: This study was an online cross-sectional survey facing elementary school students in Wuhan. The questionnaire was completed by children's parents or other family members. The information on demographic data, oral health status, oral healthcare behaviors, and parental attitudes toward oral healthcare was collected at the end of school closure. The chi-square test was used to test the association of different questionnaire items.Results: A total of 18,383 subjects aged 6–13 years with complete data were included in this investigation, and 44.2% of them suffered pain or discomfort related to teeth and gums during the epidemic. While there might be an increasing need and concern of oral healthcare during the outbreak and even when the outbreak was controlled, the worry of infection made it difficult for people to meet their demands of dental attendance.Conclusion: The risk of cross-infection during the treatment had a negative influence on parental attitudes toward dental attendance. Effective measures should be taken to meet people's demands of dental attendance.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Scabies and Its Associated Factors Among School-Age Children in Arba Minch Zuria District, Southern Ethiopia, 2018.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eyayou Girma ◽  
Chuchu Churko ◽  
Amsalu Alagaw ◽  
Desta Haftu ◽  
Abayneh Tunje ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Associated Factors ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
P Value ◽  
School Age ◽  
Odds Ratios ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Skin Contact ◽  
History Of

Abstract Background: Scabies, a common human skin disease with a prevalence range of 0.2% to 71.4% in the world. It can have a considerable impact on general health leading to illness and death not only through the direct effect of its infestation and as a result of secondary bacterial infection. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of scabies and its associated factors among school-age children in Arba Minch Zuria district, Gamo zone, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in 825 school-age children from February 20 to March 30, 2018. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select study populations. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with scabies. Findings were presented using 95% CI of Crude Odds Ratios (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR). To declare statistical significance, a p-value of less than 0.05 was used. Result: A total of 825 children participated in the study with a response rate of 97.6%. The overall prevalence of scabies was 16.4% [95% CI: 13.9%, 18.9%]. Overcrowding index, family history of itching in the past two weeks, wealth index, knowledge of scabies, climatic zone (living in the highland area), frequency of washing body, frequency of washing clothes, fingernails cutting practice, history of skin contact with scabies patient, washing hair more than once weekly, and sharing of clothes were significantly associated scabies disease.Conclusion: In conclusion, the prevalence of scabies in Arba Minch lies at 16.4% in the global scabies range from 0.2% to 71.4%. The prevalence was highest in highlands followed by midland and then lowland. This represents a significant scabies burden which we recommend warrants health service intervention.

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