scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on pre-school children’s eating, activity and sleep behaviours: a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Clarke ◽  
R Kipping ◽  
S Chambers ◽  
K Willis ◽  
H Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Sleep Habits ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Healthy Activity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Minority Ethnic

AbstractBackgroundIn spring 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown placed unprecedented restrictions on the behaviour and movements of the UK population. Citizens were ordered to ‘stay at home’, only allowed to leave their houses to buy essential supplies, attend medical appointments or exercise once a day. This qualitative study explored how ‘lockdown’ and its subsequent easing changed young children’s everyday activities, eating and sleep habits to gain insight into the impact for health and wellbeing.MethodsIn summer 2020 we interviewed 20 parents of children due to start school in September 2020 (aged 3-5 years) by phone or video call to explore their experiences of lockdown and its easing. We recruited participants through nurseries and local Facebook community groups in the South West and West Midlands of England. Half the sample were from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds and half lived in the most deprived quintile. We analysed interviews using thematic analysis.ResultsChildren’s activity, screen time, eating, and sleep routines had some level of disruption. Parents reported children ate more snacks during lockdown, but also spent more time preparing meals and eating as a family. Most parents reported a reduction in their children’s physical activity and an increase in screen time, which some linked to difficulties in getting their child to sleep. Parents sometimes expressed guilt about changes in activity, screen time and snacking over lockdown. Most felt these changes would be temporary with no lasting impact, though others worried about re-establishing healthy routines.ConclusionsThe spring COVID-19 lockdown negatively impacted on pre-school children’s eating, activity and sleep routines. While some positive changes were reported, there were wide-spread reports of lack of routines, habits and boundaries which, at least in the short-term, were likely to have been detrimental for child health and development. Guidance and support for families during times of COVID-19 restrictions could be valuable to help them maintain healthy activity, eating, screen-time and sleeping routines to protect child health and ensure unhealthy habits are not adopted.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on preschool children’s eating, activity and sleep behaviours: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e051497
Author(s):  
Joanne Clarke ◽  
Ruth Kipping ◽  
Stephanie Chambers ◽  
Kate Willis ◽  
Hilary Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Sleep Habits ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Healthy Activity ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesIn spring 2020, the first COVID-19 national lockdown placed unprecedented restrictions on the behaviour and movements of the UK population. Citizens were ordered to ‘stay at home’, only allowed to leave their houses to buy essential supplies, attend medical appointments or exercise once a day. We explored how lockdown and its subsequent easing changed young children’s everyday activities, eating and sleep habits to gain insight into the impact for health and well-being.DesignIn-depth qualitative interviews; data analysed using thematic analysis.SettingSouth West and West Midlands of England.ParticipantsTwenty parents (16 mothers; 4 fathers) of preschool-age children (3–5 years) due to start school in September 2020. Forty per cent of the sample were from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds and half lived in the most deprived areas.ResultsChildren’s activity, screen time, eating and sleep routines had been disrupted. Parents reported children ate more snacks, but families also spent more time preparing meals and eating together. Most parents reported a reduction in their children’s physical activity and an increase in screen time, which some linked to difficulties in getting their child to sleep. Parents sometimes expressed guilt about changes in activity, screen time and snacking over lockdown. Most felt these changes would be temporary, though others worried about re-establishing healthy routines.ConclusionsParents reported that lockdown negatively impacted on preschool children’s eating, activity and sleep routines. While some positive changes were identified, many participants described lack of routines, habits and boundaries which may have been detrimental for child health and development. Guidance and support for families during COVID-19 restrictions could be valuable to help maintain healthy activity, eating, screen time and sleeping routines to protect child health and ensure unhealthy habits are not adopted.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 pandemic social restriction measures on people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in the UK: a mixed-methods study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e048772
Author(s):  
Toby O Smith ◽  
Pippa Belderson ◽  
Jack R Dainty ◽  
Linda Birt ◽  
Karen Durrant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Musculoskeletal Diseases ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Social Restriction ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesTo determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic social restriction measures on people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) and to explore how people adapted to these measures over time.DesignMixed-methods investigation comprising a national online longitudinal survey and embedded qualitative study.SettingUK online survey and interviews with community-dwelling individuals in the East of England.ParticipantsPeople in the UK with RMDs were invited to participate in an online survey. A subsection of respondents were invited to participate in the embedded qualitative study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe online survey, completed fortnightly over 10 weeks from April 2020 to August 2020, investigated changes in symptoms, social isolation and loneliness, resilience and optimism. Qualitative interviews were undertaken assessing participant’s perspectives on changes in symptoms, exercising, managing instrumental tasks such a shopping, medication and treatment regimens and how they experienced changes in their social networks.Results703 people with RMDs completed the online survey. These people frequently reported a deterioration in symptoms as a result of COVID-19 pandemic social restrictions (52% reported increase vs 6% reported a decrease). This was significantly worse for those aged 18–60 years compared with older participants (p=0.017). The qualitative findings from 26 individuals with RMDs suggest that the greatest change in daily life was experienced by those in employment. Although some retired people reported reduced opportunity for exercise outside their homes, they did not face the many competing demands experienced by employed people and people with children at home.ConclusionsPeople with RMDs reported a deterioration in symptoms when COVID-19 pandemic social restriction measures were enforced. This was worse for working-aged people. Consideration of this at-risk group, specifically for the promotion of physical activity, changing home-working practices and awareness of healthcare provision is important, as social restrictions continue in the UK.

Having a dry start into life - Drought impacts on child health in Malawi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Zimmer ◽  
Charlotte Plinke ◽  
Katharina Lehmann-Uschner ◽  
Stefan Lange
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Large Household ◽  
Lower Height ◽  
Food Security And Nutrition ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Future Education ◽  
The Impact

<p>Under- and malnutrition – particularly in the first years of life – can severely impact the physical and mental development of a child. This can have lasting consequences for the child’s future education, health and wellbeing outcomes. At the same time, climate change is expected to intensify the frequency and severity of droughts in many regions of the world, exacerbating concerns about food security and nutrition. Using repeated cross-sections of a large household survey in Malawi – a country where the majority of the population is engaged in smallholder subsistence agriculture and where virtually all agriculture is rainfed – we assess the impact of drought events on children’s health outcomes. We focus on stunting, a measure of chronic undernutrition and explore drought effects at different periods of a child’s development. To minimize concerns about recall error or reporting bias, we combine geo-referenced household data on child anthropometrics with biophysical data at high spatial resolution to measure drought exposure with the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). The advantage of the SPEI over other drought indicators such as the SPI is that it accounts not only for precipitation but also other climate variables relevant to the water balance and thus agricultural productivity. We find that children exposed to a drought shock have a significantly lower height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and are at greater risk of being stunted. Furthermore, we explore which household characteristics and coping strategies might have helped in mitigating the drought impact on child health.</p>

scholarly journals mHealth tool to improve community health agent performance for child development: study protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled trial in Peru

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e028361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Michael Westgard ◽  
Natalia Rivadeneyra ◽  
Patricia Mechael
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Cluster Randomised ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionCultivating child health and development creates long-term impact on the well-being of the individual and society. The Amazon of Peru has high levels of many risk factors that are associated with poor child development. The use of ‘community health agents’ (CHAs) has been shown to be a potential solution to improve child development outcomes. Additionally, mobile information and communication technology (ICT) can potentially increase the performance and impact of CHAs. However, there is a knowledge gap in how mobile ICT can be deployed to improve child development in low resource settings.Methods and analysisThe current study will evaluate the implementation and impact of a tablet-based application that intends to improve the performance of CHAs, thus improving the child-rearing practices of caregivers and ultimately child health and development indicators. The CHAs will use the app during their home visits to record child health indicators and present information, images and videos to teach key health messages. The impact will be evaluated through an experimental cluster randomised controlled trial. The clusters will be assigned to the intervention or control group based on a covariate-constrained randomisation method. The impact on child development scores, anaemia and chronic malnutrition will be assessed with an analysis of covariance. The secondary outcomes include knowledge of healthy child-rearing practices by caregivers, performance of CHAs and use of health services. The process evaluation will report on implementation outcomes. The study will be implemented in the Amazon region of Peru with children under 4. The results of the study will provide evidence on the potential of a mHealth tool to improve child health and development indicators in the region.Ethics and disseminationThe study received approval from National Hospital ‘San Bartolome’ Institutional Ethics Committee on 8 November 2018 (IRB Approval #15463–18) and will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration numberISRCTN43591826.

scholarly journals Impact of Universal Credit in North East England: a qualitative study of claimants and support staff

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e029611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Cheetham ◽  
Suzanne Moffatt ◽  
Michelle Addison ◽  
Alice Wiseman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Welfare Benefits ◽  
North East ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Sector ◽  
Roll Out

ObjectivesTo understand the impact of the roll-out of Universal Credit (UC) from the perspectives of claimants and staff supporting them in North East England.DesignQualitative study comprising interviews and focus groups.SettingGateshead and Newcastle, two localities in North East England characterised by high levels of socioeconomic deprivation, where the roll-out of UC started in 2017 as a new way to deliver welfare benefits for the UK working age population.Participants33 UC claimants with complex needs, disabilities and health conditions and 37 staff from local government, housing, voluntary and community sector organisations.ResultsParticipants’ accounts of the UC claims process and the consequences of managing on UC are reported; UC negatively impacts on material wellbeing, physical and mental health, social and family lives. UC claimants described the digital claims process as complicated, disorientating, impersonal, hostile and demeaning. Claimants reported being pushed into debt, rent arrears, housing insecurity, fuel and food poverty through UC. System failures, indifference and delays in receipt of UC entitlements exacerbated the difficulties of managing on a low income. The threat of punitive sanctions for failing to meet the enhanced conditionality requirements under UC added to claimant’s vulnerabilities and distress. Staff reported concerns for claimants and additional pressures on health services, local government and voluntary and community sector organisations as a result of UC.ConclusionsThe findings add considerable detail to emerging evidence of the deleterious effects of UC on vulnerable claimants’ health and wellbeing. Our evidence suggests that UC is undermining vulnerable claimants’ mental health, increasing the risk of poverty, hardship, destitution and suicidality. Major, evidence-informed revisions are required to improve the design and implementation of UC to prevent further adverse effects before large numbers of people move on to UC, as planned by the UK government.

‘Wish YOU Weren’t Here!’: Interpersonal Conflicts and the Touristic Experiences of Norwegian and British Women Travelling with Friends

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bente Heimtun ◽  
Fiona Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Interpersonal Conflicts ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Tourism is often portrayed by the tourism industry, tourists themselves and tourism scholars as a liminoid site of escape, happiness and freedom from constraint. For many, however, holidays do not live up to this expectation. This paper challenges the dominant tourism discourse of holidays as sites of unproblematic pleasure in examining contestation, conflicts and negotiations between women and their travelling companions. Drawing on conceptualizations of in-group interpersonal conflicts and theorization of the mobile social identities of women travellers, we explore the impact of holiday conflicts on women’s holiday experiences and friendships. The findings of this qualitative study of female tourists from Norway and the UK suggest that women adopt various strategies to deal with open and hidden conflicts that may threaten their friendships and holiday experiences. Such strategies include avoidance of conflict through compromise, negotiation of appropriate holiday behaviours prior to travel, or ultimately choosing to travel solo.

scholarly journals ‘What about the dads?’ Linking fathers and children in administrative data: A systematic scoping review

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 205395172110692
Author(s):  
Irina Lut ◽  
Katie Harron ◽  
Pia Hardelid ◽  
Margaret O’Brien ◽  
Jenny Woodman
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Paternal Involvement ◽  
Personal Identification ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Address Data ◽  
Health Claims Data ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
The Impact

Research has shown that paternal involvement positively impacts on child health and development. We aimed to develop a conceptual model of dimensions of fatherhood, identify and categorise methods used for linking fathers with their children in administrative data, and map these methods onto the dimensions of fatherhood. We carried out a systematic scoping review to create a conceptual framework of paternal involvement and identify studies exploring the impact of paternal exposures on child health and development outcomes using administrative data. We identified four methods that have been used globally to link fathers and children in administrative data based on family or household identifiers using address data, identifiable information about the father on the child's birth registration, health claims data, and Personal Identification Numbers. We did not identify direct measures of paternal involvement but mapping linkage methods to the framework highlighted possible proxies. The addition of paternal National Health Service numbers to birth notifications presents a way forward in the advancement of fatherhood research using administrative data sources.

scholarly journals Motivations, experiences and aspirations of Trainee Nursing Associates in England. A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Louise King ◽  
Emily Wood ◽  
Steve Robertson ◽  
Tony Ryan ◽  
Angela Tod
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The North ◽  
Previous State ◽  
Academic Workload ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The nursing associate role was developed in England in response to the ‘Shape of Caring’ review. It has been implemented to fulfil two aims; to bridge the gap between registered nurses and healthcare assistants, and to provide an alternative route into registered nursing in light of workforce shortages. Other high income countries deploy second level nurses within their healthcare systems, however the UK has a turbulent history with such roles. The previous state enrolled nurse was phased out in the 1990s, and more recently the assistant practitioner (AP) role has faced wide variation in titles, scope and pay. Little is known about those who have embarked on the new nursing associate training course and their experiences of the role. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was undertaken using focus groups of trainee nursing associates to generate in-depth discussion about their motivations, experiences of training, and career aspirations.Three focus groups (n=15) took place in December 2018 using a purposive sample of trainee nursing associates registered at a University in the North of England. Two researchers facilitated each group discussion at a time and place convenient for participants. The discussions were audio recorded, transcribed and data was analysed thematically.Results: This study found that trainee nursing associates are motivated by affordable, local, career development. During training they face challenges relating to clinical support, academic workload and uncertainty about future career opportunities. They experience role ambiguity both individually and across the wider organisation. Trainee nursing associates rely on broad support networks to build their occupational identity.Conclusions: The barriers and facilitators of trainee nursing associate personal development have implications for policy and practice relating to recruitment and retention. The results increase our understanding of this emerging role, and have informed the development of a larger longitudinal cohort study. Further research is required to evaluate the impact of this new role.

scholarly journals Time-use and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a panel analysis of 55,204 adults followed across 11 weeks of lockdown in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feifei Bu ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
Hei Wan Mak ◽  
Daisy Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Time Use ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Social Study ◽  
Panel Analysis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

There is currently major concern about the impact of the global COVID 19 outbreak on mental health. But it remains unclear how individual behaviors could exacerbate or protect against adverse changes in mental health. This study aimed to examine the associations between specific activities (or time use) and mental health and wellbeing amongst people during the COVID 19 pandemic. Data were from the UCL COVID 19 Social Study; a panel study collecting data weekly during the COVID 19 pandemic. The analytical sample consisted of 55,204 adults living in the UK who were followed up for the strict 11 week lockdown period from 21st March to 31st May 2020. Data were analyzed using fixed effects and Arellano Bond models. We found that changes in time spent on a range of activities were associated with changes in mental health and wellbeing. After controlling for bidirectionality, behaviors involving outdoor activities including gardening and exercising predicted subsequent improvements in mental health and wellbeing, while increased time spent on following news about COVID 19 predicted declines in mental health and wellbeing. These results are relevant to the formulation of guidance for people obliged to spend extended periods in isolation during health emergencies, and may help the public to maintain wellbeing during future pandemics.

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