BackHome
Refresh: OffView Personal Schedule
Individual Submission Summary
Share...

Direct link:

Describing the Impact of COVID-19 on US Children and Families

Thu, March 23, 5:00 to 6:30pm, Salt Palace Convention Center, Floor: 2, Meeting Room 251 E

Abstract

Introduction. Children and families across the US experienced dramatic alterations in their daily lives during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, including financial strain and disruptions to school, healthcare, and work. While notable social inequities in pandemic-related experiences have been observed among adults (Magesh et al., 2021), most existing studies including children have relied on smaller samples (N<1000) with limited diversity or opportunity to generalize to broader populations.

Hypotheses. Our goal was to describe the independent associations between three primary sociodemographic characteristics (region, urban/rural residence, and socioeconomic status [SES]) and pandemic-related disruptions, hardships, and stressors in a population-based cohort of children in the US.

Study Population and Methods. We leverage COVID-19 survey data on over 15,000 diverse families in the ECHO cohort to describe differences in pandemic-related experiences by SES (measured using maternal education), region (Northeast, South, Midwest, or West as defined by the US Census), and urban versus rural residence (as defined by the National Center for Health Statistics). Surveys captured a range of pandemic experiences, including healthcare disruptions, changes in schooling and related supports, family financial strain and access to supplies. We use logistic regression models that include the three sociodemographic characteristics of interest as primary predictors with each COVID-19 experience serving as a separate outcome; models also adjusted for months since March 2020 to the date of survey completion, and age, sex, race, and ethnicity.

Results. Caregivers with lower SES were less likely to transition to remote work and more likely to rank financial concerns and access to supplies among the top stressors; however, they were less likely to report challenges related to arranging childcare or concerns about social distancing (Figures 1 and 2). Compared to the Midwest and South, children in the Northeast and West were more likely to experience a school disruption and remote learning; however, these children were also more likely to receive tangible support for remote schooling (i.e., free internet and tablets or computers). Compared to the Midwest and South, caregivers in the Northeast and West reported more pandemic-related challenges, including arranging and paying for childcare, concerns about accessing supplies and social distancing, and impact on their children. Compared to urban participants, rural children were more likely to access free school meals, but also more likely to experience disruptions in healthcare; urban caregivers were more concerned about their health, social distancing and being quarantined.

In this population-based study, pandemic-related experiences varied by SES, region and urban/rural residence in unique ways. Pandemic-related financial insecurity was the most salient issues facing many lower SES families, dwarfing other pandemic-related concerns. Caregivers in the Northeast and West generally reported more difficulty across different pandemic-related challenges but were more likely to receive school-provided supports and less likely to have healthcare disruptions. Urban residents generally reported more hardships and stressors than those in rural areas. Discussion of the full set of findings will focus on emergent patterns of risk and protective factors, and implications for the allocation of resources to support recovery efforts that better support children and families.

Group Authors

The ECHO Consortium

Authors