Family Factors Associated with Hands-On Play and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Relationship between Pain, Physical Activity, Screen Time and Age among Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented restrictions, social distancing measures, and lockdowns to limit the spread of the disease. These lockdowns have affected children's screen time (ST), pain, and physical activity (PA) levels. The present study aimed to explore the relationships between ST, pain, age, and PA before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

The caregivers of 329 children (median age = 8 years) filled out an online self-reported survey about the children's PA, ST, and pain before, during, and after the COVID-19 curfew. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to explore the associations between these variables.

RESULTS

After the curfew, pain that existed before the pandemic had a weak negative relationship with PA intensity (-0.11, p = 0.04) and a weak positive relationship with ST (r = +0.12, p = 0.04). There was a strong positive relationship between ST in all time periods (p > 0.01). PA and ST had a weak negative relationship (p > 0.05) during the curfew and after the curfew but not before the COVID-19 pandemic. Age had a weak positive correlation with ST in all time periods (p > 0.01). In addition, ST was affected by the curfew.

CONCLUSION

The study findings indicated that young children had longer ST during the curfew and after the curfew compared with before the curfew. Increasing PA could lessen children's ST, which could, in turn, increase the probability that their general pain would decrease.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's occupations

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the daily lives and limited everyday activities of children worldwide.

Objectives

To document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's occupations, the associated factors, and the impact on children's health, wellbeing, and development.

Methods

A narrative review was conducted by searching four databases (Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews).

Results

A total of 35 articles met the inclusion criteria. Out of the 34 articles, 23 were relevant to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupations related to leisure (n = 17), productivity (n = 11), and self-care (n = 9). Ten articles highlighted specific factors that had been linked to changes in occupational engagement and child behavior. Ten articles focused on the impact of occupational disruption during COVID-19 on health, wellbeing, and general development.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have had a negative impact on children's occupations, while the restrictions were still in effect. Further research is needed to establish reliable conclusions.

Exploring the perception of parents on children's screentime: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies

BACKGROUND

Screentime (ST) has been increasingly pervasive in young children. Evidence suggests positive and negative effects of ST on children's development. Parents play a crucial role in influencing their children's ST. There is limited research consolidating the parental perceptions related to children's ST. This review consolidates the evidence on the perception of parents on their children's ST.

METHODS

Six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and ProQuest) were searched from their inception to September 2022. Critical appraisal was conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklist. Data synthesis was performed using Sandelowski and Barroso's approach.

RESULTS

Twenty studies were included in this review, encapsulating the experiences of 1,311 parents. Three main themes with corresponding subthemes were identified: (1) Varied reasons behind ST; (2) Attitudes toward ST; and (3) Strategies and approaches to managing ST.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlighted the varied reasons parents promote ST. Parents reported their concerns and confusion about ST and shared some strategies and approaches for better ST. Future research is needed to develop and evaluate educational programs to ensure that parents understand the risks and benefits of ST and in turn, ensure the appropriate adoption of ST for their children.

IMPACT

In the digital era, parents' attitudes towards screentime (ST) for their children are mixed. This review presents the dilemma parents face and their struggles with using optimal screen time for their children. This review provides up-to-date evidence on the parents' confusion and concerns about ST as well as strategies and approaches used by the parents for better ST. There is an urgent need for evidence-based educational programs to enhance parental knowledge about ST so that they can ensure appropriate ST among children.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO Registration No. CRD42022356083.

Parental Anxiety, Practices, and Parent-Child Relationships among Families with Young Children in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study explored the ambiguous characteristics and influencing factors of parental anxiety, practices, and parent-child relationships among families with young children during a sudden COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, China. An online survey was conducted from 1 June to 10 November 2022, with 477 valid responses. Parental anxiety, practices, and parent-child relationships were evaluated. During this lockdown, 72.6% caregivers felt anxious about parenting to different degrees, with only a small proportion experiencing extreme anxiety. Parental anxiety was mainly influenced by whether the caregivers faced parenting issues and external parenting difficulties. The frequency of two-parent-child activities of reading books or looking at picture books with their children and telling stories to them significantly increased. Caregivers' occupations of either professional or technical personnel and working from home were the most significant influencing factors. Mother-child relationships were relatively good. In conclusion, parental anxiety, practices, and parent-child relationships were relatively good and stable among families with young children during this lockdown. In the context of public health emergencies like COVID-19, more parenting support and knowledge should be provided to caregivers from professionals in CHCs or hospitals to decrease parental anxiety and improve parent-child relationships. Full advantage should be taken of working from home to promote parent-child activities.

Trajectories of distress from pregnancy to 15-months post-partum during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly burdened pregnant and postpartum women. It remains unclear how distress levels of pregnant and postpartum people have changed (or persisted) as the pandemic continues on and which factors may contribute to these trajectories of distress.

Methods

This longitudinal study included 304 pregnant people, who were followed during pregnancy, 6-weeks, 6-months and 15-months postpartum. At each time point, a latent “distress” factor was estimated using self-reported depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress. Reported negative impact of COVID-19 and social support were assessed during pregnancy as risk and protective factors related to distress. Second-order latent growth curve modeling with a piecewise growth function was used to estimate initial levels and changes in distress over time.

Results

Mean distress was relatively stable from the pregnancy to 6-weeks postpartum and then declined from 6-weeks to 15-months postpartum. Higher education, greater social support, and lower negative impact of COVID-19 were associated with a lower distress during pregnancy. Unexpectedly, negative impact of COVID-19 was associated with a faster decrease in distress and more social support was associated with a greater increase in distress from pregnancy to 6-weeks postpartum. However, these effects became non-significant after controlling for distress during pregnancy.

Conclusion

Findings indicate high but declining levels of distress from pregnancy to the postpartum period. Changes in distress are related to social support and the negative impact of the pandemic in pregnancy. Findings highlight the continued impact of COVID-19 on perinatal mental health and the need for support to limit the burden of this pandemic on pregnant people and families.

Applying a family stress model to understand U.S. families' patterns of stress, media use, and child behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly altered family life, and research among adults and families is finding increases in financial stress, mental health problems, screen time, parental conflict, and child behavior problems. Given these patterns, we sought to replicate these findings with a younger and largely non-white sample and consider how these constructs might relate to each other by using the Family Stress Model. From surveys of 247 predominately Latine mothers and fathers of children under 4 years in the U.S., we found that financial strain was related to children's media exposure and use, largely through impacts on parents' mental health and coparenting relationship. Interestingly, only use of television in the background and during mealtimes were associated with increases in children's behavior problems. Such findings better capture how stress may operate in a family system and offer a way to counsel parents about healthier media habits for children.

Time to Play in Javanese Preschool Children-An Examination of Screen Time and Playtime before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This comparative-descriptive multi-national research examined the screen time and playtime of preschool children aged 1-6 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents reported on the play and screen habits of preschool-aged children on the weekday and weekends using a questionnaire on the lifestyle habits of their children. Results indicated a significant difference in screen time and playtime on the weekday and weekend before the pandemic (screen time: 1.91 ± 2.40 vs. 2.16 ± 2.60 h; playtime: 3.55 ± 2.49 vs. 4.11 ± 2.58 h, both p < 0.05), but during the COVID-19 pandemic, only the weekday-weekend difference in screen time was significantly different (screen time: 2.87 ± 3.15 vs. 3.26 ± 3.18 h, p < 0.05; playtime: 3.25 ± 3.41 vs. 3.48 ± 2.41, p > 0.05). Before- and during-COVID-19 comparisons showed that the average daily screen time increased by 150% from 2.04 h to 3.06 h (p < 0.05), while the average play time decreased by 12.3% (3.83 to 3.36 h, p < 0.05). Based upon international guidelines for movement behaviours of young children, special attention and actions are needed to manage the excessive daily screen time and preserve the average daily playtime of Javanese preschool children. These results present useful benchmarking data for parents, teachers, and health authorities to initiate ameliorative interventions to better balance children's screen time and playtime as Indonesia emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic to a COVID-19 endemic.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Physical Fitness of Primary School Students in China Based on the Bronfenbrenner Ecological Theory

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, nation lockdown became an effective way to isolate the spread of the virus. Schools were postponed, students had to stay at home and opportunities for physical activity amongst school children were severely affected. This research sought to determine the impact of the pandemic on the physical fitness of primary school students. In total, 1,235 students from grades one to five in a primary school in Beijing took part in this research. Using the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard as a guide, the students were subjected to BMI, vital capacity, 50 m sprint, sit and reach, timed rope-skipping, timed sit-ups, and 50m × 8 shuttle run measurements. These tests were administered once before and once after the lockdown period. The results showed that the overall physical fitness of the participants was better after the lockdown [p = 0.000, r = -0.14, 95% CI (-0.219, -0.061)]. Specifically, vital capacity, sit and reach, timed rope-skipping and timed sit-ups had improved after the lockdown. Meanwhile, 50m × 8 shuttle run dropped slightly but not significantly whereas 50 m sprint dropped sharply after the lockdown. The proportion of overweight and obese students increased, but the difference before and after the lockdown was small. It appeared that during the pandemic, through the intervention of many comprehensive factors, home-based fitness was normalized and promoted the healthy development of students.