The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Physical and Mental Health of School-Aged Children.

Description The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a deleterious impact on global health. School-aged children were significantly impacted by the pandemic. These impacts may be attributed to the fact that this age group is at a vulnerable developmental stage and is susceptible to profound effects. We conducted a thorough literature review using PubMed, Medline, and Science Direct electronic database searches between 2020-2022. We retrieved 757 studies, 25 of which were included in our review. We considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health of school-aged children (5-18 years), and the results were analyzed and included in our narrative review. Reduced physical activity and low health-related quality of life were observed in school-aged children during the pandemic in comparison to pre-pandemic. Factors such as age, fears/stress, mood states, socioeconomic status, pre-COVID sedentary time, and activity levels were attributed to reduced physical activity. Depression and anxiety were the most common symptoms noted. Absenteeism, substance abuse, sleep disorders, and eating disorders were also increased. The negative influence of increased screen time, restricted physical activity, and social isolation were also considered and discussed. The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a physical, mental, and social contagion for children. Interventions to promote physical and mental health need to be initiated in homes, schools, communities, and countries.

Addressing violence against children: A case review in the state of Qatar.

Introduction: Violence against children (VAC) is a critical public health issue that affects billions of children worldwide. The combination of its prevalence and severity of effects on children creates an urgent need for effective interventions. Multiple studies associate VAC with lifelong implications that affect children through adulthood. In Qatar, multiple approaches such as legislation are being used to protect children from all forms of violence. Despite the gravity of the issue, there is still low readiness for the prevention of VAC in Qatar. This review aimed to map approaches to addressing VAC in Qatar from the panelists' perspectives on current approaches to addressing VAC. Methods: The review obtained data from a recorded video entitled "A Public Health Approach to Addressing Violence Against Children." The panel discussion in this video clip was organized as a side event of the WISH virtual summit by UNICEF and WISH on World Children's Day, held in Qatar in November 2020. The video was transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: It shows the importance of both global and national level interventions in addressing VAC. The review uses the socioecological model to show relationships among different levels of interventions addressing VAC in Qatar. The findings highlight the national approaches to addressing VAC using public health, and legislative and policy approaches. Discussion: The interventions addressing VAC at different levels in Qatar are interconnected. Delineating each level is key to the formation of holistic interventions that leverage global, regional, national, communal, familial, and individual factors that support interventions to address VAC.

Readiness assessment for implementation of a large scale child maltreatment prevention program in Qatar.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Child maltreatment is a worldwide problem, with lifelong consequences for the survivors. The focus is shifting from Child Maltreatment Protection to Child Maltreatment Prevention. The objective of this descriptive study was to assess readiness for child maltreatment among stakeholders before implementation of large-scale prevention programs in Qatar. METHODS: The study involved structured interviews with 45 representatives of various stakeholders in sectors of national and local entities of Qatar. A survey was conducted among these stakeholders, to explore their perception and level of awareness of child maltreatment in Qatar. All of them responded, with a response rate of 100%. A multidimensional tool, developed by WHO and collaborators from several middle and low-income countries, was used to assess ten dimensions of readiness. RESULTS: Child maltreatment prevention readiness in Qatar is low with a total score of 37.8 on a scale of 0-100. The respondents scored high (≥ 5) in knowledge of child maltreatment (5.3), legislation, mandates and policies (6.8) and informal social resources (non-institutional) (5.6). Participants, however, scored low (≤ 5) in their knowledge about current program implementation and evaluation (1.1), human and technical resources (1.7), institutional resources and links (2.3), material resources (2.8), scientific data on child maltreatment prevention (3.1), attitude towards child maltreatment prevention (4.3) and will to address the problem (4.8). CONCLUSION: Child maltreatment prevention readiness in Qatar is low and requires improvement in some of the areas. It highlighted the need for capacity building among organizations across Qatar for a large scale CMP program to be successfully implemented.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is not a major cause of brief resolved unexplained events in infants.

Although it is often stated that gastro-oesophageal reflux is the most common cause of a brief resolved unexplained event or apparent life-threatening event, there are very few data to support the hypothesis of cause and effect http://bit.ly/2FjknUy.