#LongCOVID affects children too: A Twitter analysis of healthcare workers sentiment and discourse about Long COVID in children and young people in the UK

ABSTRACT

AimsWith a social media analysis of the discourse surrounding the prevalence of Long COVID in children and young people (CYP), this study aims to explore healthcare workers perceptions concerning Long COVID in CYP in the UK between January 2021 and January 2022. This will allow to contribute to the emerging knowledge on Long COVID and identify critical areas and future directions for researchers and policymakers. DesignA mixed methods approach with a discourse, keywords, sentiment, and image analysis, using Pulsar and Infranodus. SettingA discussion of the experience of Long COVID in CYP in the UK shared on Twitter between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2022. ParticipantsA sample of health workers with Twitter accounts whose bio has them identifying themselves as HCWs. ResultsWe obtained 2588 tweets. HCW were responsive to announcements issued by authorities regarding the management of COVID-19 in the UK. The most frequent feelings were negative. The main themes were uncertainty about the future, policies and regulations, managing and addressing COVID-19 and Long COVID in CYP, vaccination, using Twitter to share scientific literature and management strategies, and clinical and personal experiences. ConclusionsThe perceptions described on Twitter by HCW concerning the presence of Long COVID in CYP appear to be a relevant and timely issue and responsive to the declarations and guidelines issued by health authorities over time. We recommend further support and training strategies for health workers and school staff regarding the manifestations and treatment of Long COVID in CYP. Strengths and limitations of this study- Our online analysis of Long COVID contributes towards an emerging understanding of reported experiential, emotional and practical dimensions of Long COVID in CYP specifically, as well as questions of vaccine hesitancy in CYP with Long COVID. - We identify key policy areas that need considered attention and focus, such as a) the provision of psychosocial support with access to quality mental health resources to alleviate the impact that Long COVID can have on the mental health of CYP; and b) the development of clear Long COVID pandemic recovery policies that are informed from a health equity perspective and how this affects CYP living with Long COVID. - This is one of few studies to collect healthcare workers perceptions regarding Long COVID in CYP in the UK, using information from Twitter. - This study is limited to the perception of those who identified as healthcare workers via their online biographies, and so is not representative of the general UK or the global population.