Children and Workers Well-Being in Belgian French-Speaking Primary Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic ()
Author(s)
Kelly Cremer1*,
Julie Frère2,
Olga Chatzis3,
Benoît Kabamba4,5,
Florence Renard6,
Mathilde De Keukeleire1,
Ricardo De Mendonca7,
Dimitri Van der Linden3,4#,
Annie Robert1#
Affiliation(s)
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Faculty of Public Health, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium.
2Department of Pediatric, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, CHU Liège, Liège, Belgium.
3Department of Pediatric, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Specialized Pediatric Service, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
4Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium.
5Department of Microbiology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
6Office de la Naissance et de l’Enfance, Brussels, Belgium.
7Department of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (HUB), CUB Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of measures were taken worldwide to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and in many ways, changed human life. All these measures had harmful consequences and impacted the well-being of many people. Children were one of the most vulnerable groups. We conducted the present study to assess children’s and staff’s well-being in French-speaking primary schools in Belgium during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A 37-question questionnaire for each child based on the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and a 14-question questionnaire for each staff based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale was undertaken in order to assess the well-being. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to assess the relationship between RCMAS or HAD and other explanatory variables. Staff reported their perception of their current life and their future life in 5 years on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results: A total of 231 children and 221 staff in 11 primary schools answered the well-being questionnaire between January and May 2021. 53% (122/231) of children had symptoms of anxiety. Girls reported more anxiety symptoms than boys (≥10: 59%; Adj OR = 2.25; 95% CI [1.28; 4.03]). 52% (120/231) of children had a definite state of social desirability. According to age, the youngest (6 - 7 years) children were more likely to have social desirability (≥5: 71%; Adj OR = 3.44; 95% CI [1.53; 8.09]) compared to the oldest (10 - 12 years). Children who did not practice outdoor/street activities were more likely to have social desirability (≥5: 60%; Adj OR = 2.59; 95% CI [1.38; 4.99]). In schools with a higher local incidence of SARS-CoV-2, children were more likely to have social desirability (≥5: 64%; Adj OR = 2.15; 95% CI [1.13; 4.17]). In schools with a lower socioeconomic status, children were more likely to have social desirability (≥5: 72%; Adj OR = 2.74; 95% CI [1.23; 6.37]). Higher RCMAS anxiety (r = −0.18; p < 0.05), physiological manifestations (r = −0.23; p < 0.05), concentration and social anxiety (r = −0.20; p < 0.05) scores were associated with a lower social desirability score. 16% (35/221) of staff had a definite state of anxiety. Staff working in larger schools reported less anxiety (≥11: 10% OR = 0.34; 95% CI [0.15; 0.77]). Staff reported lower scores for the perceived life in general during the pandemic than the perceived life in 5 years (r = +0.35). Conclusion: Our results showed that the well-being of children was impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Special attention must be focused on the most vulnerable groups, as the consequences can be catastrophic in the long term.
Share and Cite:
Cremer, K. , Frère, J. , Chatzis, O. , Kabamba, B. , Renard, F. , Keukeleire, M. , Mendonca, R. , Linden, D. and Robert, A. (2023) Children and Workers Well-Being in Belgian French-Speaking Primary Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Health,
15, 676-694. doi:
10.4236/health.2023.156043.
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