Experience of parents of preschool children in Hawaii during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major disruption to economic, health, education, and social systems. Families with preschool children experienced extraordinary strain during this time. This paper describes a qualitative study examining the experience of parents of preschool children in Hawaii during the COVID-19 pandemic. SAMPLE: Thirteen (N = 13) parents of preschool children living on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, participated in small group discussions occurring in February and March 2021, approximately 1 year after the start of the pandemic in the state. Discussion transcripts were coded and sorted into themes. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: stressors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, family coping and resources, meaning of the COVID-19 crisis to the family, and family adaptation patterns. Themes mapped to the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response model. CONCLUSION: Families relied on various resources to cope with stressors experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and adopted new patterns related to seeking healthcare and household emergency preparedness. Findings may inform policies and interventions to support families during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies.

Rapid Implementation of a Statewide Observational Surveillance System to Monitor Wearing of Face Masks in Public Spaces.

This report describes the rapid implementation of a statewide observational surveillance program to monitor the public's wearing of face masks in public spaces during community spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It describes how the Hawai'i State Department of Health partnered with University of Hawai'i faculty to develop and implement the surveillance program. The surveillance program involved organizing volunteers to conduct weekly direct observations in designated locations. A smartphone application (app) was created to record real-time observational surveillance data. From September 5, 2020, to March 13, 2021, a total of 84 577 observations were conducted across the state. Eighty-three percent of those observed were correctly wearing a face mask, 7% were wearing a face mask incorrectly, and 10% were not wearing a mask. Following the 2-week pilot phase of the project, volunteers were surveyed regarding facilitators and barriers for conducting observations and motivations for volunteering. Feedback was used to refine project procedures. With few states having implemented such a surveillance program, the information reported in this article may inform communities interested in tracking mask-wearing behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.