Survey of young people in one region of the UK on accessing COVID-19 information (SOCIAL)

BMJ Paediatr Open. 2021 Feb 2;5(1):e000942. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000942. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

COVID-19 has significantly impacted young people's lives yet little is known about the COVID-19 related sources of information they access. We performed a cross-sectional survey of pupils (11-16 years) in North Staffordshire, UK. 408 (23%) pupils responded to an online survey emailed to them by their school. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data. Social media, accessed by 68%, played a significant role in the provision of information, despite it not being considered trustworthy. 89% felt that COVID-19 had negatively affected their education. Gaps in the provision of information on COVID-19 have been identified.

Keywords: adolescent health; data collection; technology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • COVID-19*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Social Media*
  • United Kingdom / epidemiology