New research shows young children faced heightened developmental challenges during lockdowns, with rates remaining above pre-pandemic levels.
To conduct the research, published yesterday (1st December) experts from the University of Edinburgh analysed routine health reviews for 258,000 children aged 13-15 months and 27-30 months between January 2019 and August 2023.
They found that during the 72 weeks of restrictions from March 2020 to August 2021, the proportion of children flagged with developmental concerns increased by up to 6.6%.
What’s more, the rise was seen across multiple areas of development and in both age groups. Although the trend flattened out once restrictions were lifted, the proportion of children with concerns remained higher than before the pandemic.
Researchers said the restrictions altered young children’s daily environments during critical stages of development, potentially reducing opportunities for social interaction, play and learning.
The findings align with similar studies from South Korea, the United States, Uruguay and Japan, suggesting this may be a global phenomenon.
Going forward, researchers are calling on policymakers to consider the developmental impact of public health measures and take steps to mitigate harms, such as prioritising children’s services, keeping parks and playgrounds open where possible and supporting parents to provide early learning at home.
The study also raises questions for future pandemic planning, with experts urging decision-makers to factor in potential effects on young children.
Researcher Dr Iain Hardie of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, said: ‘Covid-19 public health and social measures played a vital role in curbing the spread of infections during the pandemic.
‘However, the findings of our study suggest that they also appear to have been associated with increased early childhood development concerns.’
The full research can be read here.
Image: Queven
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