Exploring changes in children’s well-being due to COVID-19 restrictions: the Italian EpaS-ISS study

Italian Journal of Pediatrics

Research

Marco Giustini¹  Angela Spinelli²  Silvia Andreozzi³  Mauro Bucciarelli³  Paola Nardone³  Ilaria Luzi³  Silvia Ciardullo³  Marta Buoncristiano⁴ 

[1] Environment and Health Department, Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy;Formerly National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy;National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy;“OKkio alla SALUTE” Technical Committee, Rome, Italy;

关键词: COVID-19;    Well-being;    Stay at home orders;    Children;    Primary school;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13052-023-01521-9

 received in 2023-08-04, accepted in 2023-08-29,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWhile existing research has explored changes in health behaviours among adults and adolescents due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the impact of quarantine on young children’s well-being is still less clear. Moreover, most of the published studies were carried out on small and non-representative samples. The aim of the EpaS-ISS study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the habits and behaviours of a representative sample of school children aged mainly 8–9 years and their families living in Italy, exploring the changes in children’s well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the immediately preceding time period.MethodsData were collected using a web questionnaire. The target population was parents of children attending third-grade primary schools and living in Italy. A cluster sample design was adopted. A Well-Being Score (WBS) was calculated by summing the scores from 10 items concerning the children’s well-being. Associations between WBS and socio-demographic variables and other variables were analysed.ResultsA total of 4863 families participated. The children’s WBS decreased during COVID-19 (median value from 31 to 25; p = 0.000). The most statistically significant variables related to a worsening children’s WBS were: time of school closure, female gender, living in a house with only a small and unliveable outdoor area, high parents’ educational level and worsening financial situation.ConclusionsAccording to parents ' perception, changes in daily routine during COVID-19 negatively affected children’s well-being. This study has identified some personal and contextual variables associated with the worsening of children’s WBS, which should be considered in case of similar events.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Società Italiana di Pediatria 2023

【 图 表 】

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