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COVID-19 and its impact on children
COVID-19 and its impact on children
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 22 million children and adolescents have been missing out on school since the spread of the Coronavirus. Dr. Francisco said, “children face stress when they miss out on school” therefore, “Parents and caregivers should respond to children’s reactions in a supportive manner.” Also, being in quarantine has a negative impact on the children’s mental health because they lack social interaction with children their age and the isolation from their parents also contributes to their stress. For their age, there is a high risk of contracting the virus due to their low immune system and their vulnerability. Moreover, the progress of the children academically in this new normal setting have uncertainties in terms of their learning process. Adjusting to this new setting can be difficult for children as it also adds to their stress. Taking into consideration that some provided activities are not developmentally appropriate for the children and that they have different learning styles. In terms of literacy development, there are certain challenges that may arise including children whose parents are not literate enough to support their children; distance learning materials or resources may not be accessible for these children (Gallagher, 2020) to be able to attend school. The Sustainable Development Goals connected to this issue are No Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Quality Education and Sustainable Cities and Communities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 22 million children and adolescents have been missing out on school since the spread of the Coronavirus. Dr. Francisco said, “children face stress when they miss out on school” therefore, “Parents and caregivers should respond to children’s reactions in a supportive manner.” Also, being in quarantine has a negative impact on the children’s mental health because they lack social interaction with children their age and the isolation from their parents also contributes to their stress. For their age, there is a high risk of contracting the virus due to their low immune system and their vulnerability. Moreover, the progress of the children academically in this new normal setting have uncertainties in terms of their learning process. Adjusting to this new setting can be difficult for children as it also adds to their stress. Taking into consideration that some provided activities are not developmentally appropriate for the children and that they have different learning styles. In terms of literacy development, there are certain challenges that may arise including children whose parents are not literate enough to support their children; distance learning materials or resources may not be accessible for these children (Gallagher, 2020) to be able to attend school. The Sustainable Development Goals connected to this issue are No Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Quality Education and Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition
According to UNICEF, the death rate of children under 5 years old is caused by undernutrition. Furthermore, 1 in 3 Filipino children is malnourished due to extreme poverty and lack of basic health education in parents. In addition, a child dies every 10 seconds due to hunger related diseases (UNILAB, 2019). In relation to this, the impact of malnutrition in education can be detrimental to the children’s academic performance. In recent studies, nutrition affects students’ thinking skills, behavior, and overall health. Poor nutrition can lead to susceptible illness like headaches and stomachaches resulting in school absences and low participation in activities or performances (Brown, Beardslee, & Prothrow-Stith, 2008). According to Julia Donaldson, “the devastating impact of malnutrition shouldn’t be underestimated”. In line with her statement, “it stunts a child’s development, sapping the strength of their minds as well as their body and depriving them of the chance to be able to read or write a simple sentence”. This just proves that children who have poor nutrition are 20% more likely to misread simple sentences and severely affect their ability to learn. Having poor nutrition can create a serious damage in children’s lives even before being exposed to formal schooling (Forysth, 2013). As we have nearly a quarter of children in the world who are at risk of underperforming in school, the consequences are hard to face but we have made a huge progress tackling child death. The Sustainable Development Goals connected to this issue are No Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Quality Education.
According to UNICEF, the death rate of children under 5 years old is caused by undernutrition. Furthermore, 1 in 3 Filipino children is malnourished due to extreme poverty and lack of basic health education in parents. In addition, a child dies every 10 seconds due to hunger related diseases (UNILAB, 2019). In relation to this, the impact of malnutrition in education can be detrimental to the children’s academic performance. In recent studies, nutrition affects students’ thinking skills, behavior, and overall health. Poor nutrition can lead to susceptible illness like headaches and stomachaches resulting in school absences and low participation in activities or performances (Brown, Beardslee, & Prothrow-Stith, 2008). According to Julia Donaldson, “the devastating impact of malnutrition shouldn’t be underestimated”. In line with her statement, “it stunts a child’s development, sapping the strength of their minds as well as their body and depriving them of the chance to be able to read or write a simple sentence”. This just proves that children who have poor nutrition are 20% more likely to misread simple sentences and severely affect their ability to learn. Having poor nutrition can create a serious damage in children’s lives even before being exposed to formal schooling (Forysth, 2013). As we have nearly a quarter of children in the world who are at risk of underperforming in school, the consequences are hard to face but we have made a huge progress tackling child death. The Sustainable Development Goals connected to this issue are No Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Quality Education.
(Photo by UNICEF)
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