Securing a healthy future for Canadian children after COVID-19/Assurer un avenir sain aux enfants canadiens au lendemain de la COVID-19

Canadian Institutes of Health Research, with comments from Dr Nicholas Chadi, August 18, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to close, disrupted classroom routines and forced students to adjust to online learning from home. Researchers with the Observatory for Children’s Education and Health (OCEH) have found that these changes have led to learning losses for many students while affecting their mental health and well-being. It may also affect their long-term school performance and future career prospects. […]

Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Université de Montréal Medical School and a pediatrician at CHU Sainte-Justine, is analyzing the negative impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of adolescents before and during the pandemic.

“I’m examining whether changes in the number of visits made by patients to Montreal emergency rooms for mental health problems during the pandemic have occurred because of differences in socioeconomic backgrounds, age groups, or sex during fall 2020 and the year 2021 compared to pre-pandemic years,” he said. “While I’ve noticed that there’s a large increase in the amount of health services sought by young people related to suicide, eating disorders, anxiety, and substance-related problems, I’m also determining whether these visits occurred at the same time as high waves of COVID-19 infections in Canada.”

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