Effects of COVID-19 home confinement on Cuban children and adolescents under study

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 28 (ACN) After gathering data on the health, parental help and home schooling of Cuban children and adolescents through the CNEURO Survey, specialists from various Cuban institutions are looking at the impact of home confinement during the pandemic on this age group.

Preliminary assessments of the nationwide research reveal changes in eating and sleeping habits, the appearance of regressive behaviors, emotional disorders and anxiety as some of the symptoms caused by the new lifestyles imposed by COVID-19.

In statements to ACN, the multidisciplinary team in charge of the study observed an increase in the use of technologies, difficulties to concentrate, irritability and a stronger attachment to adults, and established that children have shown to be more sociable with family members and a tendency to use the telephone and social networks more to communicate with friends, classmates and teachers.

Respondents claimed that they encourage their children to study, do their homework, and watch the learning channels. They also pointed out that they are more prone now to display affection and recognize a child’s accomplishment, and to ground them when they fail to fulfill their obligations, as well as to use new strategies to encourage learning and avoid shouting and arguing in front of the children.

The results of this research will benefit the design and implementation of individualized care strategies by regions and sectors to monitor children convalescing from COVID-19 and other vulnerable groups.

The CNEURO Surveyor is an application (apk) developed by the Cuban Neurosciences Center and other institutions of the Ministries of Education, Higher Education and Public Health, together with the Cuban Telecommunications Company.

Designed for Android devices, the apk includes two forms: Puericultura (Childcare) for basic Primary Health Care teams, and ESDAN (Evaluation of Child Health, Development and Learning) for parents or caregivers of children up to 12 years of age, to characterize the home environment and the effects of confinement.

With more than six thousand downloads nationwide, the Surveyor’s Childcare section has made it possible to collect information from about 9,000 children and teenagers, whereas over 6,000 parents answered the questions and consulted the available guidance materials.