The impact of COVID-19 on behavioral and emotional wellbeing of children 5 to 12 years in Kuwait: a cross sectional study

This study assessed behavioral and emotional patterns in Kuwaiti children during COVID-19 lockdowns and the parents' coping strategies. This we-based cross-sectional study was conducted with the parents of Kuwaiti children between the ages of 5 and 12. A total of 292 parents responded (52.1% male, 47.9% female). Parents reported that for those children with screen time of 120 to 180 minutes daily, the screen time increased from 7.3% before the pandemic to 16.7% during lockdowns. Shorter-duration physical activity increased, while longer-duration physical activity decreased by half during the pandemic. Physical activity before lockdowns for the category of 60-120 minutes was 13.6% for males and 12.3% for females (P value 0.021), while during lockdowns it decreased to 5.8% for males and 7.5% for females (P value &lt;0.000). Also, there was an increase in consumption of snacks like chips and chocolate (27.4%). About 64% of the parents said that their children had sleeping disturbances such as frequent awakenings (34.3%), sleeping less than normal (32.5%), and being afraid to sleep alone (52.4%). Findings suggest that COVID-19 lockdowns had a moderate impact on the behaviors of children in Kuwait.本研究评估了新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）封控期间科威特儿童的行为与情绪模式，以及家长的应对策略。本项基于网络的横断面研究招募了5至12岁科威特儿童的家长作为调研对象，最终共有292名家长参与反馈（男性占比52.1%，女性占比47.9%）。家长反馈显示，日均屏幕时长介于120至180分钟的儿童，其屏幕使用占比从疫情前的7.3%升至封控期间的16.7%。短时长体育活动的参与占比有所上升，而长时长体育活动的参与占比在疫情期间下降了一半。封控前，60-120分钟体育活动组的儿童中，男性占比为13.6%，女性占比为12.3%（P值=0.021）；封控期间该占比分别降至5.8%（男性）与7.5%（女性，P值<0.000）。此外，薯片、巧克力这类零食的消费量上升了27.4%。约64%的家长表示，其子女存在睡眠障碍，具体表现为频繁觉醒（34.3%）、睡眠时长低于平日（32.5%）以及害怕独自入睡（52.4%）。研究结果表明，新冠疫情封控对科威特儿童的行为产生了中等程度的影响。