Adolescents who were born preterm were less likely to report unhealthy behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent ECHO Cohort study led by Michael O’Shea, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected many adolescents’ mental health, daily routines, and social lives. Some adolescents may have been especially vulnerable, including those born preterm (<37 weeks). Previous research suggests adolescents born preterm may be less likely to take part in unhealthy behaviors, such as drinking alcohol or using marijuana.
Using data from more than 2,000 adolescents participating from 13 ECHO Cohort Study Sites across the United States, researchers compared self-reported measures of health and well-being among adolescents born at different stages of pregnancy. Participants completed surveys between March 2020 and March 2023 that assessed overall health, life satisfaction, and sense of meaning and purpose.
ECHO researchers looked at self-reported surveys from over 2,000 adolescents from thirteen ECHO Cohort Study Sites across the United States to better understand how adolescents born at different stages of pregnancy coped with the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed surveys about changes in healthy behaviors, unhealthy behaviors, social connection, and how the pandemic affected their lives between April 2022 and June 2022.
Compared with adolescents born at term, adolescents born preterm were less likely to say they drank alcohol, used marijuana, or took part in at least one unhealthy behavior. Healthy or prosocial behaviors were common across all adolescents included in this study. More than half of the adolescents reported doing at least one positive activity, such as spending more time with family, reading, doing puzzles, practicing mindfulness, or talking with others. Girls born preterm showed more pronounced differences in positive and unhealthy behaviors. Girls born extremely preterm (<28 weeks) were more likely to report healthy or prosocial behaviors. Adolescents born moderate or late preterm (between 28 and 37 weeks) reported feeling more socially connected during the pandemic, compared to before the pandemic, but they were also more likely to say the pandemic had a negative overall effect on their lives.
The findings of this study suggest that adolescents employed multiple strategies to cope with the psychological stressors associated with the pandemic and that adolescents born preterm, as compared to those born at term, were less likely take part in an unhealthy behavior and equally likely to take part in a healthy coping behavior.
The study authors suggest that in future national crises similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, these findings may help physicians and parents be better prepared to support adolescents, including adolescents born preterm. Additional studies could also help researchers identify counseling strategies that support healthy coping, family communication, and adolescent well-being during future pandemics, natural disasters, or other major disruptions.
This collaborative research, titled “Child health-related behaviors, social connectedness, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children born preterm in the ECHO Cohort,” is published in BMC Pediatrics.