Dataset Information

Are we all in this together? Longitudinal assessment of cumulative adversities by socioeconomic position in the first 3 weeks of lockdown in the UK.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Despite media claims that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is uniting societies and countries in shared experience, there has been concern that the pandemic is in fact exposing and widening existing inequalities within societies. Data have shown these differences for cases and fatalities, but data on other types of adversities are lacking. Therefore, this study explored the changing patterns of adversity relating to the COVID-19 pandemic by socioeconomic position (SEP) during the early weeks of lockdown in the UK. METHODS:Data were from 12 527 UK adults in the University College London COVID-19 Social Study (a panel study that involves online weekly data collection from participants during the COVID-19 pandemic). We analysed data collected from 25 March to 14 April 2020. The sample was well-stratified and weighted to population proportions of gender, age, ethnicity, education and country of living. We used Poisson and logit models to assess 10 different types of adverse experiences depending on an index of SEP over time. RESULTS:There was a clear gradient across the number of adverse events experienced each week by SEP. This was most clearly seen for adversities relating to finances (including loss of employment and cut in income) and basic needs (including access to food and medications) but less for experiences directly relating to the virus. Inequalities were maintained with no reductions in discrepancies between socioeconomic groups over time. CONCLUSIONS:There were clear inequalities in adverse experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the early weeks of lockdown in the UK. Results suggest that measures taken to try to reduce such adverse events did not go far enough in tackling inequality.

SUBMITTER: Wright L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7298206 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Are we all in this together? Longitudinal assessment of cumulative adversities by socioeconomic position in the first 3 weeks of lockdown in the UK.

Wright Liam L Steptoe Andrew A Fancourt Daisy D

Journal of epidemiology and community health 20200605 9

<h4>Background</h4>Despite media claims that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is uniting societies and countries in shared experience, there has been concern that the pandemic is in fact exposing and widening existing inequalities within societies. Data have shown these differences for cases and fatalities, but data on other types of adversities are lacking. Therefore, this study explored the changing patterns of adversity relating to the COVID-19 pandemic by socioeconomic position (SEP) duri ...[more]

PMID: 32503892

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundInequalities in the trajectories of body composition in childhood and adolescence have been infrequently studied. Despite the importance of environmental factors in obesity development, little research has looked at area-level socioeconomic position, independent of family socioeconomic position. We aimed to assess how inequalities in body composition develop with age.MethodsThe Millennium Cohort Study is a longitudinal study of 19 243 families who had a child born between 2000 and 2002 in the UK. Multilevel growth curve models were applied to examine change in fat mass index (FMI), fat free mass index (FFMI; using the Benn index), and fat mass to fat free mass ratio (FM:FFM), measured using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, from ages 7 years to 17 years by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and household income at baseline.FindingsInequalities in FMI and FM:FFM ratio are evident at age 7 years and widen with age. At age 17 years, adolescents in the most disadvantaged IMD group had FMI 0·57 kg/mB (B=Benn parameter; 95% CI 0·43 to 0·70) higher and FM:FFM ratio 0·037 (95% CI 0·026 to 0·047) higher compared with the most advantaged group. Disadvantaged socioeconomic position is associated with higher FFMI but is reversed in adolescence after adjustment for FMI. Inequalities were greater in girls at age 7 years (mean FMI 0·22 kg/mB; 95% CI 0·13 to 0·32) compared with boys of the same age (0·05 kg/mB; -0·04 to 0·15, p=0·3), but widen fastest in boys, especially for FMI, in which there was over an 11 times increase in the inequality from age 7 years of 0·05kg/mB (95% CI -0·04 to 0·15) to 0·62 kg/mB at 17 years (0·42 to 0·82). Inequalities for the IMD were similar to income, and persisted at age 17 years independent of family socioeconomic position.InterpretationChildhood and adolescence is an important period to address inequalities in body composition, as they emerge and widen. Policies should consider FFM as well as FM, and inequalities in the environment.FundingMedical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council.

Project description:Background: The lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has been called a crisis in mental health, and adolescents may have been among the most affected. Comparing the first period of societal lockdown in spring 2020 to periods going back to 2014 using a rich cross-sectional dataset based on repeated surveys, we explore the potential changes in self-reported mental well-being across sociodemographic groups among Norway's adolescents. Methods: Norway closed schools and implemented strict restrictions in March 2020; an electronic questionnaire survey was distributed to lower secondary school students in Trøndelag county (N = 2,443) in May 2020. Results were compared with similar surveys conducted annually in the same county dating back to 2014. Logistic regression models were applied to investigate potential changes in depressive symptoms, loneliness, and quality of life and life satisfaction, and to detect possible differences in the impact of lockdown between the genders and socioeconomic groups. Results: The prevalence of boys and girls reporting high quality of life (43-34%; 23-16%) and life satisfaction (91-80%; 82-69%) decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic. For girls only, lockdown was associated with higher odds for reporting high depressive symptoms. As expected, the least privileged socioeconomic groups showed the greatest psychological distress. However, our trend analyses provided no evidence that the socioeconomic inequalities in psychological distress (according to prevalence of high depressive symptoms or loneliness) changed substantial in any direction during the first wave of the pandemic [between the pre-pandemic and inter-pandemic periods]. Conclusion: Adolescents are vulnerable, and interventions should provide them with mental health support during crises such as societal lockdown. In particular, the social and health policy, public health, and further research should target these least privileged groups.

Dataset Information

Are we all in this together? Longitudinal assessment of cumulative adversities by socioeconomic position in the first 3 weeks of lockdown in the UK.

Publications

Are we all in this together? Longitudinal assessment of cumulative adversities by socioeconomic position in the first 3 weeks of lockdown in the UK.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets