One year after the coronavirus pandemic closed schools nationwide, a CDC survey released Thursday shows that distance education has claimed the mental and physical health of both parents and children.
In the survey among 1,299 parents, it was found that 45.7% of the children were only at distance education, 30.9% would go to school for personal education and 23.4% received a mixture of the two.
The parents of children who learned reported virtually worse outcomes for their children on 11 of 17 indicators for stress and well-being compared to children who went to school for personal education.
“Parents of children who received virtual education were more likely than parents of children who received personal education to report that their children experienced reduced physical activity (62.9% versus 30.3%), time out ( 58.0% versus 27.4%) personal time with friends (86.2% versus 69.5%), virtual time with friends (24.3% versus 12.6%), and impair mental or emotional health (24.9% versus 15.9%), ‘the authors write.
GENERAL INCREASE IN CHILDHOOD HEALTH ISSUES AMENDING PANDEMA
Children who received joint education also fared worse with the same measures, but to a lesser extent.
The parents of children who learned at a distance also struggled because they reported more job loss, emotional distress, sleep problems, and worse outcomes on other issues.
The survey was conducted from October 8 to November 13, but was released Thursday as part of the CDC’s weekly report on morbidity and mortality.
“Findings suggest that virtual education may pose more risks than personal instruction related to the mental and emotional health of children and parents and some health supportive behaviors,” the CDC authors wrote.
FILE – In this file on August 26, 2020, a student in the Los Angeles Unified School District attends an online class at the Boys & Girls Club in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Students in the country’s second largest school district can return to class next month under a preliminary agreement announced with the teachers’ union on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, file)
CDC’S WALENSKY STAFF ON THE SCHOOL DISTINCTION: ‘YOU HAVE TO DO IT NOW’
Dr. David Greenhorn, who works in the emergency room of a hospital in the UK, told the Associated Press that the increase in child suicide is an ‘international epidemic’ that ‘we do not recognize’.
“In an eight-year-old’s life, a year is a very, very, long time,” he told the AP earlier this month. “They are fed up. They can not see an end to it. ‘
Young adults were also injured by the locksmiths. A CDC study last summer found that 25.5% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 have ‘seriously’ considered ‘suicide’ in the last 30 days.
President Joe Biden has promised to open most primary and secondary schools at the end of his first 100 days in office.
The $ 1.9 billion COVID-19 relief recently passed has allocated $ 122 billion to K-12 schools across the country to speed up the process.
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CDC director, dr. Rochelle Walensky, said Wednesday that the agency will “soon” release updated clues on the reopening of schools, which could shorten the recommended social distance from six feet to three feet.
“I am also concerned about the mental health of our children, and we are working very hard to get our schools open,” said Dr. Walensky testified at Congress Wednesday.
If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.