ABSTRACT
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced a rapid transition to virtual learning. During the pandemic, many nature-based environmental education (NBEE) interventions shifted to virtual formats. In this study, we compare the impacts of a virtual NBEE intervention with its in-person NBEE counterpart. Between January and May 2021, a total of 49 low-income children (ages 9 to 13) from St. Louis, MO USA participated in this study. There were 37 children that participated in the virtual NBEE intervention and 12 students in the in-person NBEE intervention. Study participants completed a pre-/post-test survey that included items related to exposure to nature, perceived neighborhood safety, and self-reported quality of life. Children who participated in the in-person intervention reported higher post-intervention levels of nature exposure, perceived neighborhood safety, self-confidence, and self-efficacy than children who participated in the virtual intervention. The study's findings have implications for the implementation of virtual learning during future public health emergencies and environmental disasters, including extreme climate events.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted socioeconomic and racial health disparities in the USA. In this study, we examined the COVID-19 pandemic as a threat multiplier for childhood health disparities by evaluating health behavior changes among urban St. Louis, MO, children (ages 6-14) during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 27 October to 10 December 2020, 122 parents/guardians reported on their children's health behaviors (Eating, Sleeping, Physical activity, Time outside, Time with friends in-person, Time with friends remotely, Time using media for educational proposes, Time using media for non-educational proposes, and Social connectedness) prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We ran K-means cluster analyses to identify distinct health behavior cluster profiles. Relative risks were determined to evaluate behavioral differences between the two clusters. Two distinct cluster profiles were identified: a High Impact profile (n = 49) and a Moderate Impact profile (n = 73). Children in the High Impact cluster had a greater risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19, developed worsened eating habits (RR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.50-2.93), spent less time sleeping, and spent less time outdoors (RR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.03-2.43) than the Moderate Impact cluster. The High Impact cluster was more likely to include Black children and children from single-adult households than the Moderate Impact cluster (both p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may be a threat multiplier for childhood health disparities. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's health.