. 2023 Jun;19(4):226-238.

doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0085. Epub 2022 Jul 19.

Sociodemographic Variation in Children's Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Traci A Bekelman¹, Emily A Knapp², Yanan Dong², Dana Dabelea¹, Tracy M Bastain³, Carrie V Breton³, Kecia N Carroll⁴, Carlos A Camargo⁵, Ann M Davis⁶, Anne L Dunlop⁷, Amy J Elliott⁸, Assiamira Ferrara⁹, Rebecca C Fry¹⁰, Jody M Ganiban¹¹, Diane Gilbert-Diamond¹², Frank D Gilliland³, Monique M Hedderson⁹, Alison E Hipwell¹³, Christine W Hockett⁸, Kathi C Huddleston¹⁴, Margaret R Karagas¹², Nichole Kelly¹⁵, Jin-Shei Lai¹⁶, Barry M Lester¹⁷, Maristella Lucchini¹⁸, Melissa M Melough¹⁹, Nicole L Mihalopoulos²⁰, T Michael O'Shea²¹, Andrew G Rundle²², Joseph B Stanford²³, Sara VanBronkhorst²⁴, Rosalind J Wright²⁵, Qi Zhao²⁶, Katherine A Sauder¹; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)

Collaborators, Affiliations

Collaborators

program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO):
P B Smith, K L Newby, D K Benjamin, L P Jacobson, C B Parker, R Gershon, D Cella, J L Aschner, C B Blair, S Deoni, V A D'Sa, C S Duarte, G J Canino, C E Monk, J E Posner, A Ferrara, L A Croen, J Gern, L Bacharier, K Rivera-Spoljaric, C Johnson, D Ownby, E Zoratti, T Hartert, I Hertz-Picciotto, D H Bennett, J B Schweitzer, A A Litonjua, S T Weiss, C T McEvoy, E R Spindel, C J Newschaffer, S Dager, R Schultz, J Piven, H Volk, R Schmidt, L Croen, T G O'Connor, C Buss, R K Miller, H N Simhan, R J Schmidt, S Ozonoff, N Paneth, J M Kerver, D M Ruden, F P Perera, J B Herbstman, S L Schantz, T Woodruff, L Trasande, Li Mingyi

Affiliations

¹ Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
² Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
³ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
⁷ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁸ Department of Pediatrics, Avera Research Institute, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
⁹ Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
¹¹ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
¹² Department of Epidemiology, Medicine and Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
¹³ Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
¹⁴ College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹⁷ Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁹ Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
²⁰ Department of Pediatrics and University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
²¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
²² Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
²³ Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
²⁴ Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
²⁵ Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
²⁶ Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.

PMID: 35856858
PMCID: PMC10398734
DOI: 10.1089/chi.2022.0085

Sociodemographic Variation in Children's Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Traci A Bekelman et al. Child Obes. 2023 Jun.

. 2023 Jun;19(4):226-238.

doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0085. Epub 2022 Jul 19.

Authors

Collaborators

program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO):
P B Smith, K L Newby, D K Benjamin, L P Jacobson, C B Parker, R Gershon, D Cella, J L Aschner, C B Blair, S Deoni, V A D'Sa, C S Duarte, G J Canino, C E Monk, J E Posner, A Ferrara, L A Croen, J Gern, L Bacharier, K Rivera-Spoljaric, C Johnson, D Ownby, E Zoratti, T Hartert, I Hertz-Picciotto, D H Bennett, J B Schweitzer, A A Litonjua, S T Weiss, C T McEvoy, E R Spindel, C J Newschaffer, S Dager, R Schultz, J Piven, H Volk, R Schmidt, L Croen, T G O'Connor, C Buss, R K Miller, H N Simhan, R J Schmidt, S Ozonoff, N Paneth, J M Kerver, D M Ruden, F P Perera, J B Herbstman, S L Schantz, T Woodruff, L Trasande, Li Mingyi

Affiliations

¹ Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
² Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
³ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
⁷ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁸ Department of Pediatrics, Avera Research Institute, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
⁹ Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
¹¹ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
¹² Department of Epidemiology, Medicine and Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
¹³ Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
¹⁴ College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹⁷ Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁹ Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
²⁰ Department of Pediatrics and University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
²¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
²² Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
²³ Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
²⁴ Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
²⁵ Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
²⁶ Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.

PMID: 35856858
PMCID: PMC10398734
DOI: 10.1089/chi.2022.0085

Abstract

Background: Societal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic may affect children's health behaviors and exacerbate disparities. This study aimed to describe children's health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, how they vary by sociodemographic characteristics, and the extent to which parent coping strategies mitigate the impact of pandemic-related financial strain on these behaviors. Methods: This study used pooled data from 50 cohorts in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program. Children or parent proxies reported sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and parent coping strategies. Results: Of 3315 children aged 3-17 years, 49% were female and 57% were non-Hispanic white. Children of parents who reported food access as a source of stress were 35% less likely to engage in a higher level of physical activity. Children of parents who changed their work schedule to care for their children had 82 fewer min/day of screen time and 13 more min/day of sleep compared with children of parents who maintained their schedule. Parents changing their work schedule were also associated with a 31% lower odds of the child consuming sugar-sweetened beverages. Conclusions: Parents experiencing pandemic-related financial strain may need additional support to promote healthy behaviors. Understanding how changes in parent work schedules support shorter screen time and longer sleep duration can inform future interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19; child; disparities; health behaviors; pandemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Drs. Breton, Camargo, Carroll, Dunlop, Elliott, Ganiban, Gilliland, Knapp, O'Shea, Sauder, Stanford, and Wright report funding from the National Institutes of Health. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

**Figure 1.**
Recruitment sites of study participants. The 3315 study participants were recruited from 77 recruitment sites representing 50 cohorts in the ECHO Program. ECHO, Environmental influences of Child Health Outcomes.

**Figure 2.**
Percent of parents reporting coping strategies in the full sample and by age group during the first 7 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020). Parents answered two multiselect questions about coping and behavior change during the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) What have you done to cope with your stress related to the COVID-19 outbreak? (2) Which of the following behaviors have you changed because of the COVID-19 outbreak?

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Yuen K, Strang AR, Flynn-Evans EE, et al. . Child and teen sleep and pandemic-era school. J Clin Sleep Med 2021;17:613–615. - PMC - PubMed
1. An R. Projecting the impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic on childhood obesity in the United States: A microsimulation model. J Sport Health Sci 2020;9:302–312. - PMC - PubMed
1. Adams EL, Caccavale LJ, Smith D, et al. . Food insecurity, the home food environment, and parent feeding practices in the era of COVID-19. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2020;28:2056–2063. - PMC - PubMed
1. Nagata JM, Abdel Magid HS, Pettee Gabriel K. Screen time for children and adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2020;28:1582–1583. - PMC - PubMed
1. Ribeiro K, Garcia LRS, Dametto J, et al. . COVID-19 and nutrition: The need for initiatives to promote healthy eating and prevent obesity in childhood. Child Obes 2020;16:235–237. - PubMed

Publication types

Actions

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
Medical
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- MedlinePlus Health Information

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Sociodemographic Variation in Children's Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Collaborators

Affiliations

Sociodemographic Variation in Children's Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

Collaborators

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical