Child and adolescent health needs attention now, and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic
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EDITORIAL
Child and adolescent health needs attention now, and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic Danielle Jansen1,2 • Silja Kosola3 • Lourdes Cantarero Arevalo4 • Margarida Gaspar de Matos5 Karin Boode6 • Sonia Saxena7 • Julia Dratva8,9
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Received: 30 June 2020 / Revised: 30 June 2020 / Accepted: 18 July 2020 Ó Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+) 2020
There is mounting concern that large-scale COVID-19 containment and physical distancing policies are likely to impact adversely on the lives of millions of children, adolescents and their families (McKee and McCartney 2020). There is also a justified fear that in particular children and adolescents in vulnerable life situations, such as children receiving statutory care, with special needs or at risk of abuse and violence, will be victims of this unprecedented and unexpected global crisis (Jansen et al. 2017, 29). These groups were already less likely to seek and receive care prior to COVID-19 and are at risk of educational underachievement (Jansen et al. 2017). The extent to which children and adolescents are affected will depend on the variation in nature and strictness of the policy response globally and also across
& Julia Dratva [email protected] Danielle Jansen [email protected]
Europe. A comparison of the seven countries in which the EUPHA Child and Adolescent Public Health section (CAPH) directorate lives and works (Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK) yielded both identical policy responses, such as physical distancing and closing of schools, and differences, such as restrictions on gathering ranging from no gathering allowed (Spain) to more liberal policies allowing for up to 10 people to meet throughout the peak pandemic (Denmark and Finland). All day care facilities and schools were closed with the exception of Finland and opening of school policies varied considerably. None of the countries restricted access to acute care; however, all, except for Denmark, restricted elective and planned care to some extent. Preventive care was partly restricted in the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the UK, but in most
3
Pediatric Research Center, New Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki, Biomedicum 2 C 6th Floor, Tukholmankatu 8 C, 00029 Helsinki, HUS, Finland
4
WHO Collaborating Centre for Research in the Patient Perspective on Medicine Use, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
5
Institute of Environmental Health, School of Medicine, University of Lisbon, FMH Estrada da Costa, Cruz Quebrada, 1499-000 Lisboa Codex, Portugal
6
GGD GHOR Netherland/National Health Services, Public Youth Healthcare, Zwarte Woud 2, 3524 SJ Utrecht, The Netherlands
7
School of Public Health Imperial College London, St Dunstan’s Rd, London W6 8RF, UK
8
Institute of Health Sciences, School of Health Professions, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland
9
Medical Facu
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