ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent restrictive measures may be related to increased stress and anxiety and to changes in daily behaviors. Children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are a vulnerable group due to their difficulties in achieving glycemic control and to their medical and psychological comorbidities. The purpose of the current study was to the investigate the changes on emotional and behavioral parameters in children with T1D due to the Coronavirus crisis. A total of 152 children and adolescents, aged 5-18, were studied: 114 (62 boys) with T1D and 38 (19 boys) healthy volunteers (HV) (controls). The study was performed at the Diabetes Center, Aghia Sofia Children's Hospital, during the first national lockdown in Greece. The CRISIS questionnaire was completed by parents/caregivers. The data were collected in May 2020 and referred to two time-points: three months prior (before the pandemic), and the past two weeks. During the lockdown, it was observed significant aggravation in the "Emotion/Worries (EW)" symptoms in both groups (logEW-before vs. logEW-during the crisis, T1D: 2.66 ± 0.23 vs. 3.00 ± 0.21, p < 0.001 and HV: 2.62 ± 0.16 vs. 2.83 ± 0.18, p < 0.001). Deterioration of "ΕW" was recorded for 93.0% of those with T1D and 92.1% of the HV. "EW" during the lockdown were affected by: previous psychological condition, COVID-related concerns, and "Life Changes due to the COVID-19 crisis in the past two weeks (LC)". Deterioration was observed in the "daily behaviors" and "use of digital media" for all of the children. The crisis and the associated restrictions negatively affected both the lifestyle parameters and the behavioral and emotional variables of the children with T1D.
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the coronavirus crisis on behavioral and emotional parameters in children and adolescents with ADHD and Learning Difficulties. A total of 101 children, 5-18 years old, were included in the study, 63 (44 boys) of which were diagnosed with ADHD and learning difficulties (ADHD/LD) and 38 were healthy children (19 boys). The CRISIS questionnaire for parents/caregivers was used. The questionnaire was completed during the first national lockdown in Greece and the data referred to two time-points: 3 months before, and the past 2 weeks. A significant deterioration in the "Emotion/Worries (EW)" symptoms was observed during the pandemic in the control group (2.62 ± 0.16 vs. 2.83 ± 0.18, p < 0.001). No such differences were noted in the ADHD group: 3.08 ± 0.25 vs. 3.12 ± 0.29, p = 0.12. Provision of educational and activities support was related to increased EW before the crisis. In ADHD/LD children, higher parental education and child's younger age were related to increased symptoms of EW. In the entire group, previous mental health conditions, increasing stress due to restrictions, and increased COVID-related worries were positively associated with the EW symptoms during the crisis. Less affected relations with friends and less reduction in contact with people outside the home were negatively related with EW during the crisis. The study revealed specific parameters that negatively affected the emotional and behavioral variables of children with ADHD and learning difficulties.
ABSTRACT
Previous studies showed that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown imposed changes in adults' lifestyle behaviors; however, there is limited information regarding the effects on youth. The COV-EAT study aimed to report changes in children's and adolescents' lifestyle habits during the first COVID-19 lockdown and explore potential associations between changes of participants' lifestyle behaviors and body weight. An online survey among 397 children/adolescents and their parents across 63 municipalities in Greece was conducted in April-May 2020. Parents self-reported changes of their children's lifestyle habits and body weight, as well as sociodemographic data of their family. The present study shows that during the lockdown, children's/adolescents' sleep duration and screen time increased, while their physical activity decreased. Their consumption of fruits and fresh fruit juices, vegetables, dairy products, pasta, sweets, total snacks, and breakfast increased, while fast-food consumption decreased. Body weight increased in 35% of children/adolescents. A multiple regression analysis showed that the body weight increase was associated with increased consumption of breakfast, salty snacks, and total snacks and with decreased physical activity. The COV-EAT study revealed changes in children's and adolescents' lifestyle behaviors during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Greece. Effective strategies are needed to prevent excessive body weight gain in future COVID-19 lockdowns.