Research Impact: The COVID-19 pandemic had created many restrictions on the lives of adolescents around the world. In this report, we looked at those adolescents in 22 countries who reported COVID-19 had a negative impact on their health, mental health, physical activity, eating and drinking habits. More specifically, we looked at the risk factors associated with this negative impact. These risk factors were; being female, being 15y old, have low family affluence, coming from a single parent family, coming from immigrant background, having at least one parent unemployed, and if there was a family member who hospitalised from COVID-19.
Concerning data from Irish adolescents in the 2022 HBSC study (collected from the University of Galway), risk factors for the negative impact on overall health were girls, 15y olds, immigrant, and family member hospitalised. The largest risk factor were 15 year olds, when compared to 11 and 13 year olds. In terms of mental health, the extent of the risk factors were the greatest among Irish adolescents among the 22 countries. All the measured risk factors, except parent unemployment, were significant risks for mental health. This shows high levels of inequalities in the negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health.
For physical activity, large inequalities were reported among 15y olds, low family affluence, living in a single parent family, being an immigrant, and a family member hospitalised from COVID-19. In other words, these inequalities produced greater risks of a negative impact of COVID-19 on being physically active. The final section of this report published by WHO highlighted unemployment in the family was protective to the negative impact of COVID-19 on eating and drinking, but all other (except immigrant) were substantial risk factors, placing Irish adolescents with the largest inequality of the 22 countries.
These stark findings, particularly for Irish adolescents, may take some time to address. Not least, one starting point could be to consider the inequalities in health are multidimensional. As these students are preparing for leaving cert exams, not only are there inequalities with mental health concerns, but also with overall health, physical activity and diet.
Ng, K., Moreno-Maldonado, C., Stavrou, M. and Lenzi, M., 2023. Left behind: inequalities in the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents in the WHO European Region: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s health and well-being from the findings of the HBSC survey round 2021/2022.
Link to the study can be found from: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2023-8920-48692-72363
Other papers in the series can be found from: https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/28-06-2023-new-who-hbsc-data-shed-light-on-covid-19-pandemic-s-effects-on-children-and-adolescents
PESS News & Information 