Project description:This study analyses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child education outcomes by providing evidence on the gendered dimension, determinants and coping measures of informal households in Southern Ghana. We rely on a face-to-face interview undertaken in January 2022 (i.e., approximately 2 years after the beginning of the pandemic) involving 761 students across basic and secondary schools from 10 metropolitan, municipality and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. We document several disruptions to child education outcomes such as learning practices, school attendance, class participation and academic performance. The results also showed that per child education expenditure incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic by the informal households was GHS305 (US$ 49). Additionally, we assess the correlates of the negative effects on academic performance and COVID-19 related education expenditure as a result of coping measures. Our results from Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) show strong association between participation in online classes, age of students, ownership of television and district of residence on COVID-19 related education expenditure. Results from Logit models show that self-reported negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance are affected by gender and age of student, distance to market and location of residence. Interestingly, we also found considerable gendered heterogeneity for the predictors of the COVID-19 pandemic on child education outcomes. We conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated countermeasures had negative effects on child education outcomes, and that informal households incurred considerable costs in attempting to address the associated education challenges in Southern Ghana. The findings have implications on the design and implementation of educational policies and programs to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child education outcomes in developing countries.
Project description:ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to identify the sociobehavioural factors that influenced children's oral health during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThe online cross-sectional study was conducted in Al Jouf Province in the northern region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 960 parents of children aged 5 to 14 years were invited by multistage stratified random sampling. Descriptive, multinomial, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate odds ratios and determine the relationship between independent and dependent variables. P < .05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOf the 960 participants, 693 (72.1%) reported that their child had 1 or more untreated dental decay. The children of uneducated parents were 1.6-fold more likely to have 1 or more untreated dental decay (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.66; 95% CI, 0.74-3.73; P < .001). The children of unemployed parents were 4.3-fold more likely to have a financial burden for a child dental visit (AOR, 4.34; 95% CI, 2.73-6.89; P < .001). Parents from a rural area were 26.3-fold more likely to have spent a lag period of over 2 years since their child's last dental visit (AOR, 26.34; 95% CI, 7.48-92.79; P < .001). Nursery-level children were 5.4-fold more likely to need immediate care (AOR, 5.38; 95% CI, 3.01-9.60; P < .001).ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated a very high prevalence of 1 or more untreated dental decay in our cohort. Children of rural areas, uneducated, unemployed, widow/divorced, low- and middle-income parents and nursery school children were linked to poorly predictive outcomes of child oral health during the pandemic.
Project description:IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Hispanics in the United States, who make up 18% of US inhabitants but 29% of COVID-19 cases as of June 2021. Recent studies have attributed higher COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death rates among Hispanics to social determinants of health. Given that the majority of US Hispanics are bilingual or Spanish-dominant, it is imperative for health care providers to be prepared to discuss COVID-19 prevention and treatment in Spanish.MethodsWe developed an interactive workshop aimed at increasing health professionals' confidence in discussing COVID-19 prevention, risk factors, and treatments with Spanish-speaking patients. Learners were expected to have an intermediate level or higher proficiency in medical Spanish. The workshop consisted of a PowerPoint presentation and English/Spanish scripts to facilitate interactive learning. The workshop was evaluated using a postworkshop questionnaire to assess learners' perceived confidence in communicating with Spanish-speaking patients.ResultsThe workshop was implemented with 70 participants, who had diverse ethnoracial identities and professional roles, at five different medical schools. Fifty-three participants completed the postworkshop questionnaire. More than 50% reported near complete to complete confidence in meeting the three learning objectives.DiscussionWith Hispanics being the largest non-White ethnoracial group in the US and being disproportionally affected by COVID-19, it is essential for health professionals to access training tools that allow them to practice medical Spanish. This module can uniquely aid in the preparation of health professionals caring for Spanish-speaking patients who present with COVID-19 symptoms.
Project description:ObjectiveThe 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.MethodsA 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.ResultsThis 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).ConclusionPublic 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.