ABSTRACT
Objectives:To gain insight into children?s health-related knowledge and understanding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) and COVID-19, and measures adopted to mitigate transmission.Design:A child-centred qualitative creative element embedded in an online mixed-methods survey of children aged 7?12?years.Setting:Children participated in the study in six countries ? the UK, Australia, Sweden, Brazil, Spain and Canada.Method:A qualitative creative component, embedded in an online survey, prompted children to draw and label a picture. Children were recruited via their parents using the researchers? professional social media accounts, through known contacts, media and websites from health organisations within each country. Analysis of the form and content of the children?s pictures took place.Results:A total of 128 children (mean age 9.2?years) submitted either a hand-drawn (n = 111) or digitally created (n = 17) picture. Four main themes were identified which related to children?s health-related knowledge of (1) COVID-19 and how it is transmitted;(2) measures and actions to mitigate transmission;(3) places of safety during the pandemic;and (4) children?s role in mitigating COVID-19 transmission.Conclusion:Children?s pictures indicated a good understanding of the virus, how it spreads and how to mitigate transmission. Children depicted their actions during the pandemic as protecting themselves, their families and wider society.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to examine aspects of children's health literacy; the information sources they were accessing, their information preferences, their perceived understanding of and their reported information needs in relation to COVID-19. An online survey for children aged 7-12 years of age and parent/caregivers from the UK, Sweden, Brazil, Spain, Canada and Australia was conducted between 6th of April and the 1st of June 2020. The surveys included demographic questions and both closed and open questions focussing on access to and understanding of COVID-19 information. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis procedures were conducted. The findings show that parents are the main source of information for children during the pandemic in most countries (89%, n = 347), except in Sweden where school was the main source of information. However, in many cases parents chose to shield, filter or adapt their child's access to information about COVID-19, especially in relation to the death rates within each country. Despite this, children in this study reported knowing that COVID-19 was deadly and spreads quickly. This paper argues for a community rather than individual approach to addressing children's health literacy needs during a pandemic.