102 - Children and COVID-19: A Primary Care Perspective

Poster Number: 102
Publication Number: 102.410

John Pascoe, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, United States; Adrienne Stolfi, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States; Brooklynne Dilley, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, United States; Samantha A. Roberts, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Beavercreek, OH, United States; Greg Eberhart, Cornerstone Pediatrics, Miamisburg, OH, United States

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on many children and their families. This study documents several aspects of parents' perspectives of COVID-19's putative effects on children and their families, including the impact on children's mental health. Study surveys were administered as children and parents visited their child's primary care pediatrician.

Objective: To document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and their families who were seen in pediatric primary care offices.

Design/Methods: This is a cross sectional study of a convenience sample of children being seen in primary care practices within the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network (SOAR-Net), a primary care child health research network located in the Miami Valley of Ohio. Study parents were recruited in waiting rooms of participating SOAR-Net practices from June-November 2021. This analysis examines the putative impact of COVID-19 on children and their families, as part of a larger study that examines childhood underinsurance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: 394 caregivers were approached in waiting rooms of SOAR-Net practices. The response rate was 83%. This analysis focused on 300 parents who completed the survey. 83% of respondents were the index child's mother, 78% were white, and 71% were married. The majority (57%) reported annual household income of at least $50,000. Index children's mean age was 8.9 (5.3) years. Almost half (49%) of families with annual income 0.05), but 52% of index children who had COVID-19 had mental health struggles compared to 35% of children who had not had COVID-19 (p=0.033).Conclusion(s): The COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse effect on family finances and children's mental health for a large number of children/families seen in primary care settings and in this sample only half of children were vaccinated or likely to be vaccinated. Vaccination status of parents was strongly related to vaccination status of index children. School performance of elementary school aged children was more likely to be adversely affected by the pandemic than middle or high school students, and childhood infection by COVID-19 was not related to school performance but was related to children's mental health. Future research should examine the longitudinal effects of COVID-19 on children and their families.