scholarly journals 39 Physical and social distancing measures and child health behaviours during COVID-19: A cohort study

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. e28-e29
Author(s):  
Xuedi Li ◽  
Leigh Vanderloo ◽  
Jonathon Maguire ◽  
Charles Keown-Stoneman ◽  
Mary Aglipay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Primary Subject area Public Health and Preventive Medicine Background Various studies have examined the general impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on children’s health behaviours. The impact of public health measures practised by children during COVID-19 is relatively unknown. Objectives The primary objective was to determine the association between physical and social distancing measures and children’s outdoor time, sleep duration, and screen time during COVID-19. Design/Methods A longitudinal study using repeated measures of exposures and outcomes was conducted in healthy children (0 to 10 years) between April 14 and July 15, 2020. Parents were asked to complete questionnaires about isolation, physical distancing practices, and children’s health behaviours. The primary exposure was the average number of days that children practised physical and social distancing measures per week. The three outcomes were children’s outdoor time, total screen time, and sleep duration during COVID-19. Linear mixed effects models were fitted using repeated measures of primary exposure and outcomes. Results This study included 554 observations from 265 children. Physical and social distancing measures were associated with shorter outdoor time (-17.2; 95% CI -22.07, -12.40; p < 0.001) and longer total screen time (11.3; 95% CI 3.88, 18.79; p = 0.003) during COVID-19. The association with outdoor time was stronger in younger children (< 5 years), and the associations with total screen time were stronger in females and in older children (≥ 5 years). Conclusion Physical and social distancing measures during COVID-19 have resulted in negative impacts on the health behaviours of Canadian children living in a large metropolitan area.

scholarly journals Public health preventive measures and child health behaviours during COVID-19: a cohort study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuedi Li ◽  
Leigh M. Vanderloo ◽  
Jonathon L. Maguire ◽  
Charles D. G. Keown-Stoneman ◽  
Mary Aglipay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Healthy Children

Abstract Objective The primary objective was to determine the association between public health preventive measures and children’s outdoor time, sleep duration, and screen time during COVID-19. Methods A cohort study using repeated measures of exposures and outcomes was conducted in healthy children (0 to 10 years) through The Applied Research Group for Kids (TARGet Kids!) COVID-19 Study of Children and Families in Toronto, Canada, between April 14 and July 15, 2020. Parents were asked to complete questionnaires about adherence to public health measures and children’s health behaviours. The primary exposure was the average number of days that children practiced public health preventive measures per week. The three outcomes were children’s outdoor time, total screen time, and sleep duration during COVID-19. Linear mixed-effects models were fitted using repeated measures of primary exposure and outcomes. Results This study included 554 observations from 265 children. The mean age of participants was 5.5 years, 47.5% were female and 71.6% had mothers of European ethnicity. Public health preventive measures were associated with shorter outdoor time (−17.2; 95% CI −22.07, −12.40; p < 0.001) and longer total screen time (11.3; 95% CI 3.88, 18.79; p = 0.003) during COVID-19. The association with outdoor time was stronger in younger children (<5 years), and the associations with total screen time were stronger in females and in older children (≥5 years). Conclusion Public health preventive measures during COVID-19 were associated with a negative impact on the health behaviours of Canadian children living in a large metropolitan area.

scholarly journals The Impact of Children's Public Health Insurance Expansions on Educational Outcomes

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip B Levine ◽  
Diane Schanzenbach
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Public Health Insurance ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the impact of public health insurance expansions through both Medicaid and SCHIP on children's educational outcomes, measured by 4th and 8th grade reading and math test scores, available from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). We use a triple difference estimation strategy, taking advantage of the cross-state variation over time and across ages in children's health insurance eligibility. Using this approach, we find that test scores in reading, but not math, increased for those children affected at birth by increased health insurance eligibility. A 50 percentage point increase in eligibility is found to increase reading test scores by 0.09 standard deviations. We also examine whether the improvements in educational outcomes can be at least partially attributed to improvements in health status itself. First, we provide further evidence that increases in eligibility are linked to improvements in health status at birth. Second, we show that better health status at birth (measured by rates of low birth-weight and infant mortality), is linked to improved educational outcomes. Although the methods used to support this last finding do not completely eliminate potentially confounding factors, we believe it is strongly suggestive that improving children's health will improve their classroom performance.

scholarly journals The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Child Health and Well-Being: Are Children “Slipping through the Net”? A Qualitative Study of Frontline Emergency Care Staff

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara Conlon ◽  
Thérèse McDonnell ◽  
Michael Barrett ◽  
Fergal Cummins ◽  
Conor Deasy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Paediatric Emergency ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health guidance to reduce the spread of the disease have wide-reaching implications for children’s health and wellbeing. Furthermore, paediatric emergency departments (EDs) have rapidly adapted provision of care in response to the pandemic. This qualitative study utilized insight from multidisciplinary frontline staff to understand 1) the changes in paediatric emergency healthcare utilization during COVID-19 2) the experiences of working within the restructured health system. MethodsFifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with frontline staff working in two paediatric EDs and two mixed adult and children EDs. Participants included emergency medicine clinicians (n = 5), nursing managerial staff (n=6), social workers (n=2) and nursing staff (n = 2). Thematic Analysis (TA) was applied to the data to identify key themes. ResultsThe pandemic and public health restrictions have had an adverse impact on children’s health and psychosocial wellbeing, compounded by difficulty in accessing primary and community services. The impact may have been more acute for children with disabilities and chronic health conditions and has raised child protection issues for vulnerable children. EDs have shown innovation and agility in the structural and operational changes they have implemented to continue to deliver care to children, however resource limitations and other challenges must be addressed to ensure high quality care delivery and protect the wellbeing of those tasked with delivering this care.Conclusions The spread of COVID-19 and subsequent polices to address the pandemic has had wide-reaching implications for children’s health and wellbeing. The interruption to health and social care services is manifesting in myriad ways in the ED, such as a rise in psychosocial presentations. As the pandemic continues to progress, policy makers and service providers must ensure the continued provision of essential health and social services, including targeted responses for those with existing conditions.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the effect of breastfeeding duration on child health

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 578-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
V K Yur'ev ◽  
K E Moiseeva ◽  
A V Alekseeva ◽  
Sh D Harbediya
Keyword(s):  
Breast Milk ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
First Year ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Duration Of Breastfeeding ◽  
The Impact

Aim. To conduct an objective and subjective assessment of the impact of breastfeeding duration on children's health. Methods. For a subjective assessment, a survey with random sampling of 476 mothers of children under the age of 1 year was conducted. For an objective assessment of health, the copying of data from the form 112/u “Case history of child's development” was used. The representativeness of this sample was tested by the method of Professor A.M. Merkov, with the error not exceeding 4%. Results. The majority of women participating in the survey indicated that after discharge from the obstetric hospital, they continued breastfeeding for up to 3 months (21.8%) and up to 6 months (25.3%). The study revealed a statistically significant relationship between the subjective assessment of children's health and the duration of breastfeeding. The highest subjective health score was in children who received breast milk up to 6 and 12 months (4.2±0.09 and 4.3±0.07), the lowest — in children who were formula-fed (3.1±0.10). The performed analysis of the dependence of the proportion of healthy children on the duration of breastfeeding demonstrated the direct strong correlation between the indicators (rxy=0.88). The presence of an inverse strong correlation was established between the proportion of children with chronic diseases and the duration of breastfeeding (rxy=–0.88). In addition, the longer the period of feeding the baby with breast milk, the lower the incidence of acute diseases during the first year of life (rxy=–0.85). Conclusion. Assessment of the child's health, both subjective and objective, depends on the duration of breastfeeding; infants who are breastfed longer during the first year are less likely to get sick and generally have better health.

scholarly journals Public health services: implementation of healthcare technologies

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-92
Author(s):  
Andrii Shipko ◽  
Serhii Shklyar ◽  
Oleksii Demikhov ◽  
Henryk Dzwigol
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
The Impact

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the factors that influence public health service. The main purpose of this research is to determine the expected indicators of pathogenic and sanogenic effects on significant risk factors of pathology among children. For achieving the research goal, the authors substantiated the models of final results for the modification of risk factors. Investigation of antenatal and genealogical factors in healthy and ill children groups was performed using a specially compiled expert assessment card and parents’ interviews. The systemic population modeling methods were applied to develop and substantiate population health management models (early diagnosis and primary prevention). Evaluation of the expected effectiveness of the N-factor program of primary prevention was carried out on a set of genealogical and antenatal factors. Conducted logical analysis of the methodology of quantitative and qualitative determination of health and the gathered experience in that respect were taken into account in developing population models of preventive effects. This study provides the identified priority directions for realizing the regional and population programs to implement them further. The authors presented the example of calculating the expected effectiveness of children’s health management by eliminating the investigated factors. The authors determine the priority directions for realizing the regional and population programs pathology based on the influence on the various elements to improve the public health services system. An example of calculating the expected effectiveness of children’s health management by eliminating these factors is given. The obtained results could be used to further research the issues associated with a prospective assessment of the program’s effectiveness in reducing the impact of antenatal and genealogical factors on children’s health.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child health and the provision of Care in Paediatric Emergency Departments: a qualitative study of frontline emergency care staff

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara Conlon ◽  
Thérèse McDonnell ◽  
Michael Barrett ◽  
Fergal Cummins ◽  
Conor Deasy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Paediatric Emergency ◽  
Provision Of Care ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health guidance to reduce the spread of the disease have wide-reaching implications for children’s health and wellbeing. Furthermore, paediatric emergency departments (EDs) have rapidly adapted provision of care in response to the pandemic. This qualitative study utilized insight from multidisciplinary frontline staff to understand 1) the changes in paediatric emergency healthcare utilization during COVID-19 2) the experiences of working within the restructured health system. Methods Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with frontline staff working in two paediatric EDs and two mixed adult and children EDs. Participants included emergency medicine clinicians (n = 5), nursing managerial staff (n = 6), social workers (n = 2) and nursing staff (n = 2). Thematic Analysis (TA) was applied to the data to identify key themes. Results The pandemic and public health restrictions have had an adverse impact on children’s health and psychosocial wellbeing, compounded by difficulty in accessing primary and community services. The impact may have been more acute for children with disabilities and chronic health conditions and has raised child protection issues for vulnerable children. EDs have shown innovation and agility in the structural and operational changes they have implemented to continue to deliver care to children, however resource limitations and other challenges must be addressed to ensure high quality care delivery and protect the wellbeing of those tasked with delivering this care. Conclusions The spread of COVID-19 and subsequent policies to address the pandemic has had wide-reaching implications for children’s health and wellbeing. The interruption to health and social care services is manifesting in myriad ways in the ED, such as a rise in psychosocial presentations. As the pandemic continues to progress, policy makers and service providers must ensure the continued provision of essential health and social services, including targeted responses for those with existing conditions.

scholarly journals Investigating the impact of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone on children’s health: Children’s Health in London and Luton (CHILL): Protocol for a prospective parallel cohort study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grainne Colligan ◽  
Ivelina Tsocheva ◽  
James Scales ◽  
Jasmine Chavda ◽  
Rosamund Dove ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Respiratory Health ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
List Type ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIntroductionAir pollution harms health across the life course. Children are at particular risk of adverse effects during development, which may impact on health in later life. Interventions that improve air quality are therefore urgently needed not only to improve public health now, but to prevent longer-term increased vulnerability to chronic disease. Low Emission Zones are a public health policy intervention aimed at reducing traffic-derived contributions to urban air pollution, but evidence that they deliver clear health benefits is lacking. We established a natural experiment design study (CHILL: Children’s Health in London and Luton) to evaluate the impacts of the introduction of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) on children’s health.Methods and analysisCHILL is a prospective two-arm parallel longitudinal cohort study of children aged 6-9 years, attending primary schools in Central London (the focus of the first phase of the ULEZ) and Luton (a comparator site). The primary goal of the study is to examine the impact of changes in annual air pollutant exposures as oxides of nitrogen, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter less than 2.5microns and 10microns (NOx, NO2, PM2.5, PM10 respectively) across the two sites on lung growth, measured as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), over four consecutive years. Secondary outcomes being investigated include a range of respiratory health indicators as well as inequality and health economic measures.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been given by Queen Mary University of London Research Ethics Committee (ref 2018/08). Dissemination will target audiences through a variety of channels, including research papers, conference and media presentations, web summaries and social media. CHILL is funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research (Ref 16/139/09) with additional funding by Natural Environment Research Council, NIHR CLAHRC North Thames, NIHR ARC North Thames, and the Mayor of London. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04695093Strengths and limitations of this studyStrengthsCHILL uses a prospective parallel cohort design, allowing robust conclusions to be drawn on the impact of the ULEZ - a major city-wide air quality mitigation strategy - on air quality and children’s respiratory health.CHILL study cohorts include children from large and ethnically diverse populations living in urban areas characterised by poor air quality.LimitationsAttrition of study cohort population over time, although this has been accounted for in the original design of the study.Potential diminution of the ULEZ air pollution signal due to pre-compliance with ULEZ restrictions in the run up to the introduction of the scheme in Central London on the 8th April 2019, and minor impacts of other pollution mitigation measures.Added complexity of accounting for effects of COVID-19 and related lockdowns on traffic flows, air quality and children’s health.

scholarly journals The Effects of Social Distancing Policies on non-SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Pathogens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Nawrocki ◽  
Katherine Olin ◽  
Martin C Holdrege ◽  
Joel Hartsell ◽  
Lindsay Meyers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Detection Rate ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The initial focus of the US public health response to COVID-19 was the implementation of numerous social distancing policies. While COVID-19 was the impetus for imposing these policies, it is not the only respiratory disease affected by their implementation. This study aimed to assess the impact of social distancing policies on non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory pathogens typically circulating across multiple US states. Methods Linear mixed-effect models were implemented to explore the effects of five social distancing policies on non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory pathogens across nine states from January 1 through May 1, 2020. The observed 2020 pathogen detection rates were compared week-by-week to historical rates to determine when the detection rates were different. Results Model results indicate that several social distancing policies were associated with a reduction in total detection rate, by nearly 15%. Policies were associated with decreases in pathogen circulation of human rhinovirus/enterovirus and human metapneumovirus, as well as influenza A, which typically decrease after winter. Parainfluenza viruses failed to circulate at historical levels during the spring. Total detection rate in April 2020 was 35% less than historical average. Many of the pathogens driving this difference fell below historical detection rate ranges within two weeks of initial policy implementation. Conclusion This analysis investigated the effect of multiple social distancing policies implemented to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory pathogens. These findings suggest that social distancing policies may be used as an impactful public health tool to reduce communicable respiratory illness.

scholarly journals Harnessing testing strategies and public health measures to avert COVID-19 outbreaks during ocean cruises

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Chowell ◽  
Sushma Dahal ◽  
Raquel Bono ◽  
Kenji Mizumoto
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Contact Network ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Testing Strategies ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

AbstractTo ensure the safe operation of schools, workplaces, nursing homes, and other businesses during COVID-19 pandemic there is an urgent need to develop cost-effective public health strategies. Here we focus on the cruise industry which was hit early by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 40 cruise ships reporting COVID-19 infections. We apply mathematical modeling to assess the impact of testing strategies together with social distancing protocols on the spread of the novel coronavirus during ocean cruises using an individual-level stochastic model of the transmission dynamics of COVID-19. We model the contact network, the potential importation of cases arising during shore excursions, the temporal course of infectivity at the individual level, the effects of social distancing strategies, different testing scenarios characterized by the test’s sensitivity profile, and testing frequency. Our findings indicate that PCR testing at embarkation and daily testing of all individuals aboard, together with increased social distancing and other public health measures, should allow for rapid detection and isolation of COVID-19 infections and dramatically reducing the probability of onboard COVID-19 community spread. In contrast, relying only on PCR testing at embarkation would not be sufficient to avert outbreaks, even when implementing substantial levels of social distancing measures.

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