ECHO study sheds light on how neighborhood environment affected child wellbeing amid pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted daily life and has raised concerns about its impact on children’s well-being. A new study from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program (ECHO) sheds light on how a neighborhood’s physical and social environment affected a child’s well-being before and during the pandemic.

According to an analysis of ECHO Cohort data, the neighborhood environment was less likely to be associated with children’s well-being during the pandemic than in the pre-pandemic period. The pandemic brought about unprecedented societal changes, changing the way people and families interacted with their neighborhoods. For example, during the pandemic, neighborhood safety was less of a concern for children who spent more time indoors and less time outside. Similarly, the closure of parks and playgrounds reduced access to green spaces and recreation, making these factors less important to child well-being at the time.

The study authors point out that the new findings align with previous research showing a link between neighborhood characteristics and child well-being. For example, previous studies show that living in neighborhoods with higher levels of poverty, lower educational attainment, and poorer housing conditions is associated with worse health outcomes for children, including physical and mental health, cognitive development, and academic achievement.

Neighborhood characteristics were widely known to be associated with child well-being. Until now, we haven’t considered how the COVID-19 pandemic might change their relationships. Furthermore, the effects of the pandemic may be different among children of different races.”

Xueying Zhang, PhD, of Baylor College of Medicine

The study involved 1,039 children from more than 10 ECHO Cohort Study sites across the US, mostly between the ages of 11 and 19. These children completed a well-being questionnaire called the Patient Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) before (2019 to March 1, 2020) and during (March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021) the pandemic The PROMIS survey measures mental and physical health as well as peer and family relationships in children.

The researchers then combined US Census data with a child’s home address to examine neighborhood characteristics. They looked at factors such as race, education, occupation composition of residents, home affordability and property characteristics. They analyzed how these factors were associated with child well-being, taking into account the effects of the pandemic and differences between children’s racial groups.

“Our findings highlight the importance of how child race intersects with the impact of the pandemic on children’s well-being,” said Dr. Zhang. “Future research could examine how people respond differently to environmental impacts during the pandemic and help address inequalities.”

Dr. Zhang led this collaborative research published in Environmental Research.