The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Threat Multiplier for Childhood Health Disparities: Evidence from St. Louis, MO.
J Urban Health
; 99(2): 208-217, 2022 04.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1767611
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.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Urban Health
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S11524-022-00616-8
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