‘We were not allowed to gather even for Christmas.’ Impact of COVID-19 on South African young people: Exploring messaging and support

COVID-19 prevention measures including lockdowns, school closures, and restricted movement disrupted young people’s lives. This longitudinal qualitative study conducted in Soweto, South Africa aimed to explore young people’s knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19, vaccination, and the impact of infections. A convenience sample of 30 young black people (n = 15 men; n = 15 women, aged 16–21 years) from Soweto participated in 24 focus group discussions (FGDs), conducted in six phases – each phase had four FGDs stratified by gender and age. Young people’s understanding of COVID-19 deepened throughout the study, however, did not always translate into adherence (following the government’s COVID-19 prevention measures). Although deemed inadequate, TV and radio were preferred over internet COVID-19 information. Parents, teachers, and schools were trusted sources of information. Vaccines and limited access to information attributed to low-risk perception, while new COVID-19 variants attributed to high-risk perception. A low-risk perception and conspiracy theories contributed to non-adherence (disregarding COVID-19 preventative measures provided by the government), particularly among young men. Accessing reliable information that considers young people’s lives and their living context is important. Communities, scientists, and policymakers must learn from the COVID-19 experience and implement localised preventive strategies for education, awareness, and economic support in future emergencies

The mismatch between teaching practices and curriculum goals in Norwegian Home Economics classes : a missed opportunity

DOI 10.1080/20004508.2020.1816677Current curriculum guidelines emphasise the importance of both nutrition education and the development of practical cooking skills in the school subject Food and Health (FH). This study aimed to explore teachers’ and students’ perspectives and experiences of current classroom practices in FH. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with teachers and students at three schools in Southern Norway were conducted and thematically analysed. Our findings suggest there is a mismatch between curriculum guidelines and teaching practices. Although teachers understood the benefits of nutrition education, practical cooking activities were prioritised. Three key themes were identified; students and teachers value cooking and limited time, which both explain this mismatch from the perspectives of students and teachers, and pedagogical solutions to resolve the mismatch, which summarises novel learning activities suggested by students and teachers as a solution for this mismatch. There needs to be a focus on comprehensive nutrition education in FH classes, to improve its pedagogical implications and meet the demands of the curriculum. These findings can be used to inform educators and policymakers on how to strengthen nutrition education in FH.Peer reviewe

Young people’s experiences of COVID-19 messaging at the start of the UK lockdown:Lessons for positive engagement and information sharing

BACKGROUND: To reduce COVID-19 infection rates during the initial stages of the pandemic, the UK Government mandated a strict period of restriction on freedom of movement or 'lockdown'. For young people, closure of schools and higher education institutions and social distancing rules may have been particularly challenging, coming at a critical time in their lives for social and emotional development. This study explored young people's experiences of the UK Government's initial response to the pandemic and related government messaging.METHODS: This qualitative study combines data from research groups at the University of Southampton, University of Edinburgh and University College London. Thirty-six online focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 150 young people (Southampton: n = 69; FGD = 7; Edinburgh: n = 41; FGD = 5; UCL: n = 40; FGD = 24). Thematic analysis was conducted to explore how young people viewed the government's response and messaging and to develop recommendations for how to best involve young people in addressing similar crises in the future. RESULTS: The abrupt onset of lockdown left young people shocked, confused and feeling ignored by government and media messaging. Despite this, they were motivated to adhere to government advice by the hope that life might soon return to normal. They felt a responsibility to help with the pandemic response, and wanted to be productive with their time, but saw few opportunities to volunteer.CONCLUSIONS: Young people want to be listened to and feel they have a part to play in responding to a national crisis such as the COVID-19 epidemic. To reduce the likelihood of disenfranchising the next generation, Government and the media should focus on developing messaging that reflects young people's values and concerns and to provide opportunities for young people to become involved in responses to future crises

Breast cancer management pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes from the UK ‘Alert Level 4’ phase of the B-MaP-C study

Abstract: Background: The B-MaP-C study aimed to determine alterations to breast cancer (BC) management during the peak transmission period of the UK COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of these treatment decisions. Methods: This was a national cohort study of patients with early BC undergoing multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided treatment recommendations during the pandemic, designated ‘standard’ or ‘COVID-altered’, in the preoperative, operative and post-operative setting. Findings: Of 3776 patients (from 64 UK units) in the study, 2246 (59%) had ‘COVID-altered’ management. ‘Bridging’ endocrine therapy was used (n = 951) where theatre capacity was reduced. There was increasing access to COVID-19 low-risk theatres during the study period (59%). In line with national guidance, immediate breast reconstruction was avoided (n = 299). Where adjuvant chemotherapy was omitted (n = 81), the median benefit was only 3% (IQR 2–9%) using ‘NHS Predict’. There was the rapid adoption of new evidence-based hypofractionated radiotherapy (n = 781, from 46 units). Only 14 patients (1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their treatment journey. Conclusions: The majority of ‘COVID-altered’ management decisions were largely in line with pre-COVID evidence-based guidelines, implying that breast cancer survival outcomes are unlikely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic. However, in this study, the potential impact of delays to BC presentation or diagnosis remains unknown

Dysmenorrhea and its impact on the health-related quality of life of adolescent girls.

Dysmenorrhea, more commonly known as period-related pelvic pain, is a highly prevalent complaint among adolescent girls. Previous research has shown that up to 92% of adolescent girls (<18 years) report some form of menstrual pain, which is often poorly managed. Although evidence suggests that dysmenorrhea can have a profound negative impact on many aspects of adolescents’ lives, research on this topic is still in its infancy. This work summarises the findings from one systematic review, two empirical qualitative studies conducted with adolescents and mothers, and one quantitative questionnaire study developed to address the gap in the current literature. In-depth, individual interviews were conducted with 20 adolescents (aged 12-18 years) experiencing dysmenorrhea, and 20 mothers of daughters with dysmenorrhea. This explorative research demonstrated that dysmenorrhea can have a profound negative impact on all aspects of the adolescents’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The adolescents interviewed reported that dysmenorrhea had a negative impact on their psychological, social, physical and school functioning, and well-being. Mothers also reported that dysmenorrhea had a negative impact on many aspects of family functioning, including increased tensions within households and financial implications (e.g., mothers taking time off of work to care for their daughters). Exploratory qualitative methods allowed the adolescents and their mothers to provide detailed accounts of their experiences in their own voices. As a result, several novel findings came from these studies including that, for some adolescents, there was a perceived positive impact of dysmenorrhea. In addition, both sets of interviews showed that there were a variety of misconceptions about the causes and treatments of dysmenorrhea. The findings from the review of the existing literature and two qualitative studies informed the development of a working model whereby psychosocial factors influenced quality of life (QoL) outcomes among adolescent girls experiencing dysmenorrhea. The final, quantitative study of 333 adolescent girls aged 13-18 years showed that perception of other bodily symptoms (β=-.314, p=.000), levels of anxiety (β= -.194, p=.004) and depression (β= -.165, p=.005), usual severity of menstrual pain (β= -.152, p=.013), and pain coping (β= -.103, p=.035) significantly predicted QoL outcomes among adolescents experiencing dysmenorrhea. Family functioning and pain severity of the most recent menstruation did not significantly predict QoL outcomes. As predicted, psychological factors predicted QoL outcomes over and above the severity of pain. These findings can be used to inform the development of psychological interventions to improve QoL outcomes among adolescent girls experiencing dysmenorrhea. The final chapter of this thesis explores the implications of these findings for adolescent girls, their families, health care professionals, and future research

Data to support thesis: Dysmenorrhea and its Impact on the Health-Related Quality of Life of Adolescent Girls

This dataset contains data from my PhD thesis which investigates the impact of adolescent dysmenorrhea on health-related quality of life. The dataset contains: 1. Qualtiative Data Set: Adolescent&#39;s Interviews This data is within a folder titled &#39;Adolescent Interviews&#39; which contains 19 anonymised transcripts from adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of adolescents living with dysmenorrhea. 2. Qualtiative Data Set: Mother&#39;s Interviews This data is within a folder titled &#39;Mother&#39;s Interviews&#39; which contains 18 anonymised transcripts from mothers of adolescents experiencing dysmneorrhea. The aim of this study was to explore maternal perceptions of adolescent dysmenorrhea. 3. Quantitative Survey Data A quantiative data set from a survey which collected data from 333 adolescent girls aged 13-18 years old. The file is titled &#39;Quantitative Data Set&#39;. The data is presented in excel. This has been exported from SPSS. The data was exported with the values instead of codes. Therefore, the data set should be easy to read as the values assigned are simply answers to the survey questions. The aim of this survey study was to investigate the psychosocial predictors of qualtiy of life outcomes among adolescent girls. </span

'We were not allowed to gather even for Christmas.' Impact of COVID-19 on South African young people: exploring messaging and support

COVID-19 prevention measures including lockdowns, school closures, and restricted movement disrupted young people's lives. This longitudinal qualitative study conducted in Soweto, South Africa aimed to explore young people's knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19, vaccination, and the impact of infections. A convenience sample of 30 young black people (n = 15 men; n = 15 women, aged 16-21 years) from Soweto participated in 24 focus group discussions (FGDs), conducted in six phases - each phase had four FGDs stratified by gender and age. Young people's understanding of COVID-19 deepened throughout the study, however, did not always translate into adherence (following the government's COVID-19 prevention measures). Although deemed inadequate, TV and radio were preferred over internet COVID-19 information. Parents, teachers, and schools were trusted sources of information. Vaccines and limited access to information attributed to low-risk perception, while new COVID-19 variants attributed to high-risk perception. A low-risk perception and conspiracy theories contributed to non-adherence (disregarding COVID-19 preventative measures provided by the government), particularly among young men. Accessing reliable information that considers young people's lives and their living context is important. Communities, scientists, and policymakers must learn from the COVID-19 experience and implement localised preventive strategies for education, awareness, and economic support in future emergencies.</p