The psychophysical impact that COVID‐19 has on children must not be underestimated

Pecoraro, Luca; Carbonare, Luca Dalle; Franceschi, Lucia De; Piacentini, Giorgio; Pietrobelli, Angelo

doi:10.1111/apa.15347

Cited by 21 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Other outcomes reported by parents in our study have to do with the reduction of physical activity, increased weight, change in eating and sleeping habits as well as increased sedentary activities and screen-time, as has been described by other authors. 24,31 The disruption of daily routines and the acquired sedentary behaviors might exacerbate childhood obesity, 33,34 and the establishment of unhealthy habits in the long-term can compromise future cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health. 31 Furthermore, physical activity contributes positively to mental health, and can be used as a coping mechanism when facing challenges such as pandemics, leading to reduction of anxiety and depression levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The psychological, social and physical consequences due to social distancing are yet to be determined. [22][23][24] This study aims to describe the impact of the pandemic on the use of healthcare services by the pediatric population and to assess the perspective of parents regarding the consequences for their children's health and wellbeing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children’s Health in Portugal: The Parental Perspective

Poppe¹,

Aguiar²,

Sousa³

et al. 2021

Acta Med Port

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges for healthcare services and has led to changes in the usage pattern of the pediatric population. We aimed to describe the impact of COVID-19 on children’s health, wellbeing, and access to medical care in Portugal.Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study through an anonymous online survey via social media. The collected data refers to a period between the 16th of March and the 17th of May 2020.Results: We obtained responses to the survey on 19 745 children. Of the previously scheduled outpatient consultations, 54.2% were postponed by healthcare institutions and 21.6% of planned vaccinations were missed. Parents expressed concerns regarding psychological, social, and physical consequences for their children due to the pandemic.Discussion: The observed reduction of pediatric emergency department visits and the postponement of outpatient consultations and vaccine administrations are potentially harmful for non-COVID patients. The current pandemic and the imposed social distance might have an important negative impact on the mental health of children.Conclusion: Further studies are necessary to fully comprehend the outcomes of the decreased access to medical care, as well as the collateral damage for children beyond the clinical aspects of the pandemic. Defining strategies regarding the urge to vaccinate children and not postpone urgent evaluations should be a public health priority.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children’s Health in Portugal: The Parental Perspective

Poppe¹,

Aguiar²,

Sousa³

et al. 2021

Acta Med Port

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are several hypotheses on the mechanisms underlying the lower susceptibility of children to COVID-19 infection than adults: i) a more efficient immune response due to the stimulation given by typical age vaccinations; ii) a lower expression of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to which the virus would bind to enter cells [ 5 ]; iii) an “immaturity” of the ACE2 receptors, which makes it difficult for the virus to enter the body [ 6 ]; and iv) external factors (before the lockdown, children were less likely than adults to visit places that could have facilitated the spread of the virus, such as railway stations and airports) [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical characteristics of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Italy

et al. 2021

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Background Since December 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan and spread rapidly worldwide. Despite the high number of people affected, data on clinical features and prognostic factors in children and adolescents are limited. We propose a retrospective study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Italy. Methods A pediatric population admitted with COVID-19 to Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital of Rome (Italy) in the period from the end of February to July 2020 has been studied. Medical history, comorbidities, symptoms and laboratory findings were obtained from patients’ electronic medical records. Results In 66 patients (35 males and 31 females) we found that: i) fever and cough were the dominant symptoms, while vomit and convulsions were rare symptoms; and ii) all ages of childhood were susceptible to COVID-19. Furthermore, we found that, compared to females, males with COVID-19, although not significantly, had higher values of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and ESR. Conversely, we found that COVID-19 positive females were older than males and required more days of hospitalization. Both males and females COVID-19 positives had procalcitonin values within the normal range and D-Dimer values slightly higher than the normal range. With regard to this latter marker, the value measured in females, although not significant, was higher than that measured in males. Interestingly, the presence of leukopenia was found in both sexes. Conclusions Compared to the adults we found that COVID-19 infection in children is a non-severe inflammatory disease in both males and females. In any case, many detailed studies should be conducted.

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“…Stressors emerging from the prolonged national lockdown and from social distancing could have even more problematic and enduring effects. To confirm this hypothesis, Pecoraro et al (2020), described some interventions to avoid the risk of physical and psychological repercussions in pediatric age enhancing the role of parents, schools and psychologists (Pecoraro et al 2020).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood obesity and SARS-CoV2: dangerous liaisons

Ferruzzi

Gasparini

Pietrobelli

et al. 2021

Child and Adolescent Obesity

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BACKGROUND: Nowadays obesity and CoronaVIrus , for some extent, represent two major public health problems worldwide. These diseases, albeit extremely different, have a pandemic pattern of diffusion and have enormous direct and indirect effects both on health and lifestyle. AIM: Aim of our narrative review was to analyze in the pediatric population, the relationship between these two diseases using a holistic approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a quasi-review with a systematic literature search through the Cochrane Library and Medline/PubMed databases from 1 January 2013 to 1 October 2020. Two authors independently extracted data using predefined data fields and rated study quality. Two main key words were considered, obesity and COVID-19, pointing a particular focus on pediatric patients. We also analysed the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 in adults for comparison. CONCLUSION: Evidences showed that during quarantine due to COVID-19, children and adolescents were physically less active, have much longer screen time exposure, sleep patterns disturbances, and less favorable diets, possibly resulting in weight gain and in a loss of cardio-respiratory fitness. Such negative effects on health are likely to be much worse in subjects that are overweight or have obesity. Moreover, stressors emerging from the prolonged national lock-down around the world and from social distancing could have even more problematic and enduring effects considering that obese children are more susceptible to psychiatric disorders.Obesity represents also a risk factor for COVID-19 severity in younger adults but at the moment in pediatric population we have very limited data.Public health interventions are urgently called in order to promote an active lifestyle and engagement in social activities in children and possibly to mitigate the adverse impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in pediatric subjects that are overweight or have obesity.

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The psychophysical impact that COVID‐19 has on children must not be underestimated

Cited by 21 publications

References 6 publications

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children’s Health in Portugal: The Parental Perspective

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children’s Health in Portugal: The Parental Perspective

Clinical characteristics of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Italy

Childhood obesity and SARS-CoV2: dangerous liaisons

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