scholarly journals Development of Psychological Problems Among Adolescents During School Closures Because of the COVID-19 Lockdown Phase in Italy: A Cross-Sectional Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Esposito ◽  
Nino Giannitto ◽  
Antonella Squarcia ◽  
Cosimo Neglia ◽  
Alberto Argentiero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Negative Feelings

Background: Previous studies have shown that during COVID-19 pandemic, mainly due to the imposed lockdown, significant psychological problems had emerged in a significant part of the population, including older children and adolescents. School closure, leading to significant social isolation, was considered one of the most important reasons for pediatric mental health problems. However, how knowledge of COVID-19 related problems, modification of lifestyle and age, gender and severity of COVID-19 pandemic had influenced psychological problems of older children and adolescents has not been detailed. To evaluate these variables, a survey was carried out in Italy.Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out by means of an anonymous online questionnaire administered to 2,996 students of secondary and high schools living in Italian Regions with different COVID-19 epidemiology.Results: A total of 2,064 adolescent students (62.8% females; mean age, 15.4 ± 2.1 years), completed and returned the questionnaire. Most of enrolled students showed good knowledge of COVID-19-related problems. School closure was associated with significant modifications of lifestyle and the development of substantial psychological problems in all the study groups, including students living in Regions with lower COVID-19 incidence. However, in some cases, some differences, were evidenced. Sadness was significantly more frequent in females (84%) than males (68.2%; p < 0.001) and in the 14–19-year-old age group than the 11–13-year-old age group (79.2% vs. 70.2%; p < 0.001). Missing the school community was a significantly more common cause of sadness in girls (26.5% vs. 16.8%; p < 0.001), in southern Italy (26.45% vs. 20.2%; p < 0.01) and in the 14–19-year-old group (24.2% vs. 14.7%; p < 0.001). The multivariate regression analysis showed that male gender was a protective factor against negative feelings (p < 0.01), leading to a decrease of 0.63 points in the total negative feelings index. Having a family member or an acquaintance with COVID-19 increased the negative feelings index by 0.1 points (p < 0.05).Conclusions: This study shows that school closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak was associated with significant lifestyle changes in all the students, regardless of age and gender. Despite some differences in some subgroups, the study confirms that school closure can cause relevant mental health problems in older children and adolescents. This must be considered as a reason for the maintenance of all school activities, although in full compliance with the measures to contain the spread of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Why did some parents not send their children back to school following school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e001014
Author(s):  
Lisa Woodland ◽  
Louise E Smith ◽  
Rebecca K Webster ◽  
Richard Amlôt ◽  
Antonia Rubin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Educational Potential ◽  
Voluntary Basis

BackgroundOn 23 March 2020, schools closed to most children in England in response to COVID-19 until September 2020. Schools were kept open to children of key workers and vulnerable children on a voluntary basis. Starting 1 June 2020, children in reception (4–5 years old), year 1 (5–6 years old) and year 6 (10–11 years old) also became eligible to attend school.Methods1373 parents or guardians of children eligible to attend school completed a cross-sectional survey between 8 and 11 June 2020. We investigated factors associated with whether children attended school or not.Results46% (n=370/803) of children in year groups eligible to attend school and 13% (n=72/570) of children of key workers had attended school in the past 7 days. The most common reasons for sending children to school were that the child’s education would benefit, the child wanted to go to school and the parent needed to work. A child was significantly more likely to attend if the parent believed the child had already had COVID-19, they had special educational needs or a person in the household had COVID-19 symptoms.ConclusionsFollowing any future school closure, helping parents to feel comfortable returning their child to school will require policy makers and school leaders to communicate about the adequacy of their policies to: (A) ensure that the risk to children in school is minimised; (B) ensure that the educational potential within schools is maximised; and (C) ensure that the benefits of school for the psychological well-being of children are prioritised.

scholarly journals COVID‐19 partial school closures and mental health problems: A cross‐sectional survey of 11,000 adolescents to determine those most at risk

JCPP Advances ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Mansfield ◽  
Danielle Newby ◽  
Emma Soneson ◽  
Nemanja Vaci ◽  
Christoph Jindra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Cross Sectional

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 Prevalence of overweight and obesity and anthropometric reference centiles for Albanian children and adolescents living in four Balkan nation-states

2018 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Tarp ◽  
Juel Jarani ◽  
Florian Muca ◽  
Andi Spahi ◽  
Anders Grøntved
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Country Differences ◽  
Age And Sex

Abstract Background The extent of the obesity epidemic among youth is an important public health statistic which provides an indication of the future burden of non-communicable diseases. Many developing countries, including Albania, do not have systematic and repeated monitoring systems in operation. Methods The Balkan Survey of Inactivity in Children study is a population-based cross-sectional survey including Albanian children living in the four Balkan nation-states of Albania, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia and Montenegro. In total, 19,850 children from 49 schools were approached. The LMS method was used to provide body mass index (BMI), height, weight and waist circumference reference centiles for boys and girls. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age- and sex-specific BMI cut-points were applied to evaluate adiposity levels. Results A sample of 18,460 participants aged 6–16 years old was available for creation of the BMI for age and sex reference centiles. The prevalence of overweight (including obesity) in the full sample was 21% (95% CI: 20%–21%) according to IOTF cut-off points and 28% (95% CI: 28%–29%) at WHO cut-off points. Overweight/obesity levels where higher in boys than in girls irrespective of the cut-off points applied (p<0.001). Noticeable between-country differences were observed with a prevalence of overweight/obesity of 40% (95% CI: 38%–42%) in Montenegro but only 20% (95% CI: 19%–21%) in Kosovo (WHO cut-off points). Conclusions Overweight/obesity is highly prevalent in Albanian children and adolescents. The apparent sex and country differences may inform public health actions.

scholarly journals Salt intake and its sources in children, adolescents and adults in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noushin Mohammadifard ◽  
Atena Mahdavi ◽  
Alireza Khosravi ◽  
Ahmad Esmaillzadeh ◽  
Awat Feizi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Salt Intake ◽  
World Health ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Islamic Republic ◽  
Dietary Salt ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Islamic Republic Of Iran ◽  
Added Salt

Background: There is little evidence about salt intake and its food sources in the Iranian population, especially in children and adolescents. Aims: To investigate salt intake and dietary sources in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014–2015. We randomly selected 1384 adults (50.3% female, 49.7% male) aged > 18 years [mean 37.9 (10.6) years], and 786 children and adolescents (50.9% male, 49.1% female) aged 618 years [mean 12.5 (3.4) years]. All participants underwent a dietary assessment for salt intake, using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Results: The total salt intake was 10.9 (3.4) g/day in adults and 10.3 (2.9) g/day in children and adolescents. Added salt was the primary source of salt intake, followed by bread and cheese in both groups. Salt intake was related significantly to being younger, male, a smoker, less educated and physically active in the adult group. In children and adolescents, it was significantly associated with increasing age, male sex, low physical activity and parents’ education level (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: Salt intake in Isfahan was more than twice that recommended by the World Health Organization. The main source of sodium was added salt, followed bread and cheese. Future national studies are warranted to assess the dietary salt intake and its main sources in different provinces in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

scholarly journals Vertebrogenic back pain syndrome in children 9–17 years with spinal deformities

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marchel S. Vetrile ◽  
Aleksandr A. Kuleshov ◽  
Nikolai A. Eskin ◽  
Mikhail B. Tsykunov ◽  
Alexey I. Kokorev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Pain Syndrome ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Spinal Deformities ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
X Ray

Aim. We defined the prevalence of back pain in children and adolescents aged 917 years with spinal deformities. Material and methods. The cross-sectional study included 230 students with different spinal deformities aged 917 years. The prevalence of back pain, intensity, location, and situations in which it occurred were assessed via questionnaire. Results. Among 230 respondents, 186 (80.9%) admitted that they had experienced back pain (mainly in the lumbar spine) at various frequencies within the year preceding the study. Mild pain was prevalent (71% of respondents). Girls experienced back pain significantly more frequently than boys. Conclusions. Back pain in children and adolescents requires clinical and instrumental examination, including X-ray. Back pain is a frequent phenomenon in children with different spinal deformities. Тhe incidence of pain in children and adolescents with spinal deformities in our study is statistically higher than that of healthy individuals of the same age group.

Awareness of Contact Lens Related Ocular Complications among Opticians of Lahore

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Sohail ◽  
Zain Ul Abideen ◽  
Fatima Zahid ◽  
Wahid Bakhsh
Keyword(s):  
Contact Lens ◽  
Contact Lenses ◽  
Corneal Opacity ◽  
Acanthamoeba Keratitis ◽  
Bacterial Keratitis ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Ocular Complications ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
One Year

Purpose:  To determine the awareness regarding contact lens related ocular complications among opticians of Lahore and to find out the relationship between the awareness and their educational qualification. Study Design:  Cross sectional survey. Place and duration of Study: University of Lahore from April 2020- December 2020. Methods:  This survey included opticians of different areas of Lahore, Pakistan. Two hundred and eleven opticians responded to a pre-tested, structured close ended questionnaire. Data comprised of demographics and contact lens selling experience. Information regarding awareness about contact lens related complications was also sought. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Results:  A total of 211 opticians participated in the survey. All subjects were males. Fifty four (25.6%) subjects were from the age group of 15 to 30 years, 122 (57.8%) were from the age group of 31 to 45 and 35 (16.6%) were from the age group of 46 to 60 years. Only 4.7% had contact lens dispensing diploma. Thirty seven percent patients had contact lens selling experience of 2 to 10 years. Similar percentage had more than 10 years of experience. Ten percent had less than one year of experience. Only 54 participants out of 211 had knowledge about dry eye, 9 knew about Acanthamoeba keratitis and Bacterial keratitis and only 2 were aware of corneal opacity. Conclusion:  Majority of the opticians of Lahore are unaware of the contact lenses related complications. Sale of cosmetic lenses for fashion purpose should be discouraged and banned if not prescribed by optometrist/ ophthalmologist. Key Words:  Opticians, Contact lenses, Bacterial Keratitis.

scholarly journals A repeated cross-sectional survey assessing university students' stress, depression, anxiety, and suicidality in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agata Debowska ◽  
Beata Horeczy ◽  
Daniel Boduszek ◽  
Dariusz Dolinski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Medical Psychology ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Background The time of widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases can lead to elevated stress and mental health problems among all persons affected, and in particular those sub-groups of the population that are at an increased risk of mental health problems. One such vulnerable group constitutes university students. The aim of this study is to assess stress, depression, anxiety, and suicidality among different groups of university students (medical, psychology, and other). Methods Using a repeated cross-sectional study design, we collected survey data among a large sample of 7228 university students from Poland (mean age = 22.78, s.d. = 4.40; 81% female). Data were collected in five waves, during the first 2 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe (March and April 2020). Results The results demonstrate a significant increase in depression levels as the pandemic was progressing. We also found that female students scored significantly higher than male students on depression, anxiety, and stress. Psychology students recorded the lowest scores on depression and anxiety. Young adult students (aged 18–24 years) had more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidality than adult students (⩾25 years). Conclusions These results provide insights into stress and mental health among university students during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings can be used for a more effective identification of students who may struggle during next stages of the pandemic and future crises.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional study of periportal fibrosis and Schistosoma mansoni infection among school-aged children in a hard-to-reach area of Madagascar

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-322
Author(s):  
Hannah J Russell ◽  
James M StJ Penney ◽  
Cortland Linder ◽  
Elizabeth C Joekes ◽  
Amaya L Bustinduy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Infection Intensity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Sonographic Examination ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Periportal Fibrosis ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background A cross-sectional survey was performed to estimate the prevalence of periportal fibrosis in children based on ultrasound examination in the Marolambo district of the Atsinanana region of Madagascar. This is a remote area known to have a high prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis. Methods School-aged children (5–14 y) were selected from six villages for parasitological and sonographic examination. Circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) tests and Kato Katz (KK) stool microscopy were performed. Video-clips of liver views were recorded with a SonoSite iViz and interpreted in the UK by comparison with standardised images (WHO protocol). Results The prevalence of schistosomiasis according to CCA testing was 97.8% (269/275) and 73.8% (203/275) by KK. Sonographic evidence of periportal fibrosis was observed in 11.3% (31/275). The youngest children with fibrosis were aged 6 y. Fibrosis was more common in older children (p=0.03) but was not associated with either infection intensity category (p=0.07) or gender (p=0.67). Conclusions Findings of periportal fibrosis among children in these hard-to-reach villages suggests chronic Schistosoma mansoni infection from a very young age. This may reflect other similarly remote schistosomiasis-endemic areas and reinforces the need to investigate morbidity in neglected communities to understand the true extent of disease burden in endemic countries.

scholarly journals Can traditional games be an option in increasing the physical activity of women following mastectomy?

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Bronikowska ◽  
Michał Bronikowski ◽  
Agata Glapa ◽  
Bartosz Prabucki
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Ring Net

SummaryStudy aim: the purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential of traditional games as a method of increasing the physical activity (PA) of women following mastectomy. A cross-sectional survey during the 20th ONCO Games was conducted and the sample included data from women divided into two groups: up to 50 years old (n = 26) and over 50 years old (n = 86).Material and methods: PA was assessed using a questionnaire, and the number of steps taking during 30-minute periods was measured using pedometers during each of the games. Exertion was evaluated using Borg’s Scale.Results: there was no difference in levels of coherence between the age groups. The group of younger women were statistically more active (M = 3.34 days/week) than the older group (M = 2.77 days/week). All the games were evaluated to be of light intensity, with ringo perceived as being statistically more fatiguing in the over 50 age group. The highest number of steps was performed during the game of ring-net-ball (M = 1903 steps/30 min) in both age groups, with older women performing statistically more steps. Similar situations were observed in the cases of pétanque and speedminton. In ringo, the situation was reversed. The lowest number of steps was recorded in pétanque in the younger age group (M = 296 steps/30 min).Conclusion: this study indicates that in the rehabilitation and recovery process after mastectomy, traditional games could be a bridging link between exercising and sports as they provide not just activity but also a unique and valuable social context.

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