New research sheds light on impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian children and youth

OTTAWA – Two years after the first case of COVID-19 was identified, researchers are beginning to understand the ongoing global pandemic’s impact on children and youth.

A special online supplement of Paediatrics & Child Health, the Canadian Paediatric Society’s peer-reviewed journal, contains new insight into the range of effects the pandemic had on children and youth.

While children and youth typically experience mild disease from COVID-19, the pandemic and associated public health measures have left a major mark on children, youth and their families. Social isolation, school closures, lack of access to activities, friends, family, and health/community services have resulted in a different sort of crisis for children and youth, affecting their mental health, physical health and behaviour.

Featuring new papers from researchers in Canada, this online supplement explores important issues, including mental health, the impact of the pandemic on children and youth with underlying disabilities or other health issues; the relationship between socio-economic factors and COVID-19 hospitalizations; the effects on poisonings in the paediatric emergency department, and more.

“As clinicians and scientists, we have observed the multitude of ways that the pandemic has impacted the lives of children, youth and families,” said Dr. Daphne Korczak, Director of the Children's Integrated Mood and Body (CLIMB) Program, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Clinician-Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and University of Toronto. 

“In this supplement we share some of the excellent work that Canadian child health scientists have been doing to help us understand how children and youth with and without previous health problems have been feeling and managing over the last two years.  Their work is critical in informing clinical care, research, and policy initiatives to improve the lives of children and their families.”

This special issue of Paediatrics & Child Health was guest edited by Dr. Daphne Korczak and Dr. Laura Sauvé, Investigator at the B.C. Children's Hospital and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia. The editor-in-chief of the journal is Dr. Joan Robinson.

Production of the supplement was made possible with a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed in the supplement do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.  To read the full online supplement for free visit: https://academic.oup.com/pch/supplements
A French version of this supplement will be available at a later date.

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For more information or to schedule an interview please contact:

Meaghan Richens
Media Relations Specialist
Canadian Paediatric Society
[email protected]

About the Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national advocacy association that promotes the health needs of children and youth. Founded in 1922, the CPS represents more than 3,300 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and other child health professionals across Canada.