Inequalities in the reported impacts of COVID-19 on child health: A narrative review

Abstract

Background: The world battled with children’s needs during the pre-COVID-19 era, and their health and educational needs were amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article highlights the reported impact of the pandemic on child health, the inequalities observed, the lessons learnt, and the way forward in the post-COVID era. Method: A narrative literature review was conducted. Articles from Google Scholar and PubMed were searched from 2015 upward. The reference lists of the included articles were also searched for more relevant studies. A descriptive analysis of the included studies was conducted to highlight the reported impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child health. Results: During the pandemic, every child was not affected equally. Inequalities in child physical, mental and social health were observed more in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Similarly, child nutrition was adversely affected as school feeding programs were disrupted. Although the education of children was adversely affected globally, the impact was more in LMICs, where digital learning was not well-developed. This was also worse in insurgent countries with many out-of-school children. Conclusion: Efforts should be geared towards meeting children's physical, mental and social needs during pandemics, with a strong focus on children from developing countries. Similarly, the education of children should not be neglected. As efforts are directed towards meeting the needs of adults post-COVID, inequalities observed in child health during the pandemic should be addressed such that no child is left behind.