The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Threat Multiplier for Childhood Health Disparities: Evidence from St. Louis, MO

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Nadav L Sprague, Columbia University; Aandrew G Rundle, Columbia University; Christine Ekenga, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-03-29
• Publisher: SPRINGER
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The New York Academy of Medicine 2022
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11524-022-00616-8
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF URBAN HEALTH-BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
• Volume: 99
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 208
• End Page: 217
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was partially supported by NIEHS T32 ES007322.
• Keywords: Adolescent; Corona virus; Behavioral health; ADOLESCENTS; Medicine, General & Internal; SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS; INCOME; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Youth; Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; QUALITY; Health equity; ENVIRONMENTAL-EDUCATION; Disparities; CHILDREN; Cluster analysis; Pediatric; General & Internal Medicine; Public health
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Environmental Sciences

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted socioeconomic and racial health disparities in the USA. In this study, we examined the COVID-19 pandemic as a threat multiplier for childhood health disparities by evaluating health behavior changes among urban St. Louis, MO, children (ages 6–14) during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 27 October to 10 December 2020, 122 parents/guardians reported on their children’s health behaviors (Eating, Sleeping, Physical activity, Time outside, Time with friends in-person, Time with friends remotely, Time using media for educational proposes, Time using media for non-educational proposes, and Social connectedness) prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We ran K-means cluster analyses to identify distinct health behavior cluster profiles. Relative risks were determined to evaluate behavioral differences between the two clusters. Two distinct cluster profiles were identified: a High Impact profile (n = 49) and a Moderate Impact profile (n = 73). Children in the High Impact cluster had a greater risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19, developed worsened eating habits (RR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.50–2.93), spent less time sleeping, and spent less time outdoors (RR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.03–2.43) than the Moderate Impact cluster. The High Impact cluster was more likely to include Black children and children from single-adult households than the Moderate Impact cluster (both p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may be a threat multiplier for childhood health disparities. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s health.