“We Need to Do Better by Kids”: Changing Routines in U.S. Schools in Response to COVID-19 School Closures

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Ain A. Grooms ◽  
Joshua Childs
Keyword(s):  
School Closures

scholarly journals Physical activity, screen time and the COVID-19 school closures in Europe – An observational study in 10 countries

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Viktoria A. Kovacs ◽  
Gregor Starc ◽  
Mirko Brandes ◽  
Monika Kaj ◽  
Rok Blagus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
School Closures

scholarly journals Home Production and Leisure during the COVID-19 Recession

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Leukhina ◽  
Zhixiu Yu
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Home Production ◽  
Market Work ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Production Activity ◽  
Married Individuals ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Between the months of February and April of 2020, average weekly market hours in the U.S. dropped by 6.25, meanwhile 36% of workers reported switching to remote work arrangements. In this paper, we examine implications of these changes for the time allocation of different households, and on aggregate. We estimate that home production activity increased by 2.65 h a week, or 42.4% of lost market hours, due to the drop in market work and rise in remote work. The monthly value of home production increased by $39.65 billion – that is 13.55% of the concurrent $292.61 billion drop in monthly GDP. Although market hours declined the most for single, less educated individuals, the lost market hours were absorbed into home production the most by married individuals with children. Adding on the impact of school closures, our estimate of weekly home production hours increases by as much as 4.92 h. The increase in the value of monthly home production between February and April updates to $73.57 billion. We also report the estimated impact of labor markets and telecommuting on home production for each month in 2020.

scholarly journals Family Food Environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Amber J. Hammons ◽  
Ryan Robart
Keyword(s):  
Food Environment ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Family Connectedness ◽  
Healthy Habits ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
The Family ◽  
Virtual Focus Groups ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Family Food Environment

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, with its cyclical lockdown restrictions and school closures, has influenced family life. The home, work, and school environments have collided and merged to form a new normal for many families. This merging extends into the family food environment, and little is known about how families are currently navigating this landscape. The objective of the present study was to describe families’ adaptations in the family food environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Parents participated in one of 14 virtual focus groups (conducted in English and Spanish between December 2020 and February 2021). Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Results: Forty-eight parents (81% Hispanic and SES diverse) participated. Five themes and one subtheme were identified around changes in eating habits and mealtime frequency, increases in snacking, family connectedness at mealtimes, and use of screens at meals. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the family food environment. Families shared how their eating habits have changed and that device usage increased at mealtimes. Some changes (e.g., weight gain) may have lasting health implications for both children and parents. Public health officials, pediatricians, and schools should work with families to resume healthy habits post pandemic.

scholarly journals Mobile Learning During School Disruptions in Sub-Saharan Africa

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110148
Author(s):  
René F. Kizilcec ◽  
Maximilian Chen ◽  
Kaja K. Jasińska ◽  
Michael Madaio ◽  
Amy Ogan
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Teacher Strikes ◽  
Sub Saharan

School closures due to teacher strikes or political unrest in low-resource contexts can adversely affect children’s educational outcomes and career opportunities. Phone-based educational technologies could help bridge these gaps in formal schooling, but it is unclear whether or how children and their families will use such systems during periods of disruption. We investigate two mobile learning technologies deployed in sub-Saharan Africa: a text-message-based application with lessons and quizzes adhering to the national curriculum in Kenya (N = 1.3 million), and a voice-based platform for supporting early literacy in Côte d’Ivoire (N = 236). We examine the usage and beliefs surrounding unexpected school closures in each context via system log data and interviews with families about their motivations and methods for learning during the disruption. We find that mobile learning is used as a supplement for formal and informal schooling during disruptions with equivalent or higher intensity, as parents feel responsible to ensure continuity in schooling.

scholarly journals Associations of Sociodemographic Factors and Health Behaviors with the Emotional Well-Being of Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6160
Author(s):  
Célia Landmann Szwarcwald ◽  
Deborah Carvalho Malta ◽  
Marilisa Berti de Azevedo Barros ◽  
Paulo Roberto Borges de Souza Júnior ◽  
Dália Romero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Socioeconomic Vulnerability

This cross-sectional study utilizes data from a nationwide web-based survey aimed to identify the factors affecting the emotional well-being of Brazilian adolescents aged 12–17 during the period of school closures and confinement. Data collection took place from 27 June to 17 September 2020. We used the “virtual snowball” sampling method, and students from private and public schools were included. A total of 9470 adolescents were analyzed. A hierarchical logistic regression model was used to find the factors associated with reporting at least two of three self-reported problems—sadness, irritability, and sleep problems. The main proximal factor was loneliness (AdjOR = 8.12 p < 0.001). Problems related to school closures also played an important role. Regular intake of fruits and vegetables, as well as physical activity, demonstrated a positive influence on emotional well-being, while excessive screen time (AdjOR = 2.05, p < 0.001) and alcohol consumption negatively affected outcomes (AdjOR = 1.73, p < 0.001). As for distal variables, less affluent adolescents were the most affected, and males reported fewer emotional problems than females. Uncertainty regarding the disease in a context of socioeconomic vulnerability, together with rises in unhealthy behaviors and isolation from their immediate social circles, have negatively affected adolescents’ emotional status throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 School Closure on Child and Adolescent Health: A Rapid Systematic Review

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 415
Author(s):  
Sonia Chaabane ◽  
Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy ◽  
Karima Chaabna ◽  
Ravinder Mamtani ◽  
Sohaila Cheema
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
School Closure ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Child And Adolescent Health ◽  
The Impact

School closures during pandemics raise important concerns for children and adolescents. Our aim is synthesizing available data on the impact of school closure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on child and adolescent health globally. We conducted a rapid systematic review by searching PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar for any study published between January and September 2020. We included a total of ten primary studies. COVID-19-related school closure was associated with a significant decline in the number of hospital admissions and pediatric emergency department visits. However, a number of children and adolescents lost access to school-based healthcare services, special services for children with disabilities, and nutrition programs. A greater risk of widening educational disparities due to lack of support and resources for remote learning were also reported among poorer families and children with disabilities. School closure also contributed to increased anxiety and loneliness in young people and child stress, sadness, frustration, indiscipline, and hyperactivity. The longer the duration of school closure and reduction of daily physical activity, the higher was the predicted increase of Body Mass Index and childhood obesity prevalence. There is a need to identify children and adolescents at higher risk of learning and mental health impairments and support them during school closures.

scholarly journals Reopening schools safely in the face of COVID-19: Can cluster randomized trials help?

2021 ◽  
pp. 174077452098486
Author(s):  
Charles Weijer ◽  
Karla Hemming ◽  
Spencer Phillips Hey ◽  
Holly Fernandez Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Trials ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
School Closures ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
The Face ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health Policymaking

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges of evidence-based health policymaking, as critical precautionary decisions, such as school closures, had to be made urgently on the basis of little evidence. As primary and secondary schools once again close in the face of surging infections, there is an opportunity to rigorously study their reopening. School-aged children appear to be less affected by COVID-19 than adults, yet schools may drive community transmission of the virus. Given the impact of school closures on both education and the economy, schools cannot remain closed indefinitely. But when and how can they be reopened safely? We argue that a cluster randomized trial is a rigorous and ethical way to resolve these uncertainties. We discuss key scientific, ethical, and resource considerations both to inform trial design of school reopenings and to prompt discussion of the merits and feasibility of conducting such a trial.

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