December 13, 2024
Our supplement this month, The Rise in Adolescent Social and Health Inequalities Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, takes a close look at the various impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic had on young people through the lens of the ongoing Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) of 10- to 14-year-olds in 15 countries.
The editorial from the supplement’s guest editors describes the significance of “global shocks” — “environmental disasters, armed conflict, global financial crises and pandemics” — to public and particularly adolescent health, and how the pandemic represented an opportunity to collect and analyze data that will leave us better prepared to for the next global shock.
The first article in the supplement addresses food insufficiency, showing an increase in five cities in Asia and Africa that was exacerbated by traditional sources of health disparities such as family wealth, gender, and neighborhood safety.
Using data from four low- and middle-income countries, the second article shows that much of the emotional abuse and neglect induced by the pandemic was linked to economic instability and food insecurity.
The supplement’s third article reveals what a particularly stressful time the COVID-19 pandemic for young people. Data from Shanghai and Kinshasa show that generalized anxiety disorder spiked almost immediately after infection-control policies were implemented.
In a mixed-methods study, the supplement’s fourth article presents the experiences of pregnant and parenting girls and young women in Kenya, showing that the pandemic left them with greater psychological distress, more food insecurity, and less access to health services.
The fifth article presents qualitative data from young people describing their difficulties with remote education.
The final article in the supplement is another qualitative analysis, young people describe in their own words how social support and other factors helped them to cope with the stress of living under a global.
The existence of a proven, in-place surveillance affords us an unique opportunity to show the profound effects of the 2020-2022 COVID-19 pandemic on both vulnerable and well-resourced adolescent populations. We’re pleased to offer these analyses as a foundational step in preparing to support young people during the next global shock.