Exploring how the Covid-19 (lockdown) restrictions affect lives of older children, particularly how they have influenced learning, eating, physical and other activities and wellbeing.
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Professor of Child and Adolescent Public Health
Miranda's research focuses on the health of children and adolescents. She has expertise in complex intervention development and evaluation, multi-methods research, and research with disadvantaged and diverse communities.
Dr Frances Mason
Miss Rhona Duff
Miss Charlotte Hall
The team aimed to explore the short-term impacts of the Covid-19 (lockdown) restrictions on learning, eating behaviours, physical and other activities, and wellbeing in children aged 11-15 years. They explored the differences in the impacts according to gender, ethnicity and family affluence.
The team also conducted follow-ups on the children once they returned to school to explore the longer-term effects of the Covid-19 restrictions.
The Covid-19 (lockdown) restrictions introduced in March 2020 resulted in big changes to all our lives. A major change for most children was that they were no longer going to school and school learning was taking place within the home environment. That shift was likely to influence not only formal school learning, but also other aspects of life, such as extracurricular activities, socialising with other pupils and being a part of school life.
The changes to everyday life also had a big influence on eating and physical activity behaviours. Older secondary school-aged children were already in a period in life where they were experiencing rapid physical, social, emotional and mental changes, and so understanding the effects of the lockdown was particularly important in this age group.
We recruited young people aged 11 to 15 years through schools and social media who were living in the UK. The team requested participants to complete an online survey with some general questions about themselves, their families, schools and living arrangements. There were also questions included about their learning, other activities, eating and physical activity, and their wellbeing.
We would like to know if this report has been of use to organisations involved in supporting secondary school-aged young people. If you or your organisation find this report informative, or use the report to inform policy or practice, please feedback to us by emailing contraststudy@contacts.bham.ac.uk
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