These data are the result of a course evaluation for a public health practicum created in Fall 2020 during COVID-19. The course included 282 students who continued through the end of the Fall Quarter 2020; 88.3% (n=249) completed the course evaluation.

As of autumn 2020, around 17 percent of surveyed healthcare executives reported that continuing to use telehealth will be the biggest expected future change due to COVID-19. This statistic illustrates the expected future changes to telehealth due to COVID-19 in the United States.

According to a survey conducted in autumn 2020, the top health innovation priority with the COVID-19 pandemic was shifting to telehealth/virtual care, as reported by 49 percent of healthcare leaders. This statistic illustrates the effects of COVID-19 on health innovation priorities in the United States.

Comparison of Czech children scores on the PAQ-C regarding PA before and during COVID pandemic (mean [standard deviation]).

The study charted Finnish people's values and attitudes. The themes of the Autumn 2020 survey included the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, financing the welfare state, happiness, equality, birth rate, and social problems. First, the respondents were presented with a variety of attitudinal statements concerning, among other topics, the Government's actions to combat COVID-19, politics, employment, reliability of information, and alcohol use. Next, the survey examined the respondents' attitudes towards rebalancing public finance after the COVID-19 pandemic. Opinions on financing the welfare state were also charted with various questions. For instance, it has been said that financing the welfare state requires that Finns must work more/longer in the future than they do at present, one way or other. Relating to this statement, the respondents were asked to evaluate whether several ways of achieving the goal of making Finns work more/longer were good or bad (e.g. increasing the number of weekly working hours or making it more difficult to take early retirement or get disability pension). Everyday well-being and happiness were also surveyed. The respondents were asked how happy they were at present and how satisfied they were with various matters, such as their income level, relationship status, and opportunities to influence in society. Questions also focused on what the respondents thought contributed to a happy life, for instance whether they thought that good relationships, health, social respect, interesting hobbies, or spirituality were prerequisites for happiness. Several questions charted views on equality and inequality among Finns (e.g. the presence of gender, generational, regional and occupational equality/inequality in Finland). Views on the reasons behind the low birth rate in Finland were examined next (e.g. whether the respondents thought unemployment or general uncertainty contributed to the low birth rate). The respondents were also asked which policy means they thought might be effective in increasing the birth rate. Social problems were examined with questions on whether the respondents had personally experienced or otherwise closely witnessed problems such as anxiety or depression, bullying, substance addiction, problem use of alcohol, or gambling problems, during the past few years. Finally, the respondents' views were surveyed regarding the impact of Donald Trump and his administration on, for instance, the global status of and respect for the United States. Opinions on Finland's EU membership and the euro as Finland's currency were also examined. Background variables included gender, age group, size of the respondent's municipality of residence, region of residence, employer type, employment status, type of employment contract, occupational group, employment sector, trade union membership, political party preference (which party the respondent would vote for), self-perceived social class, and annual income of the respondent's household.

This research project mapped and monitored responses to household food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments, local authorities, charities and local communities worked to ensure access to food for those facing new risks of food insecurity due to being unable to go out for food or due to income losses arising from the crisis. New schemes were developed, such as governments replacing incomes of people at risk of unemployment on account of lockdowns, providing food parcels for people asked to shield, referrals for people to receive voluntary help with grocery shopping, and free school meals replacement vouchers or cash transfers. These worked alongside existing provision for those unable to afford food – such as food banks – which have been adapting their services to continue to meet increasing demand from a range of population groups. This resulted in a complex set of support structures which developed and changed as the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impacts, evolved.

About the project

The project was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through the UKRI Ideas to Address COVID-19 grant call and ran for two years from July 2020. The research aimed to provide collaborative monitoring and analysis of food support systems to inform food access policy and practice. The research team was led by the University of Sheffield and King’s College London alongside colleagues from Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming and Church Action on Poverty. Full details of the team are below. Collaboration with partners and stakeholders was at the heart of the project. The research team worked with stakeholders from national and local government, the civil service, third sector, NGOs as well as people who were accessing food and financial assistance during the pandemic.

The End of project summary of key findings were published in August 2022. Details of the workpackages and research reports can be found below.

Project work packages

Work package 1: National level food access systems mapping and monitoring

Looking at food access support across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic, national level mapping and monitoring was undertaken in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well as at a UK level. National level stakeholders (for example from devolved governments and national voluntary organisations) from across the four nations worked with us to understand and monitor how support for food access has operated and evolved across the UK.

Work package 1 publications: Mapping responses to the risk of rising food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis across the UK (published August 2020) Monitoring responses to the risk of rising food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis across the UK (published December 2020) Mapping and monitoring responses to the risk of rising food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis across the UK - Autumn 2020 to Summer 2021 (published August 2022)

Work package 2: Participatory Policy Panel

To fully understand food access responses, it was crucial to hear directly from those with lived experience of food insecurity during the pandemic. In partnership with Church Action on Poverty, we convened a participatory policy panel made up of people who have direct experience of a broad range of support to access food. Meeting regularly throughout the project (Oct 2020-Dec 2021), the panel used a range of participatory and creative methods to share and reflect on their experiences and contribute these to policy recommendations.

Work package 2 publications: Navigating Storms (published October 2021) Food Experiences During COVID-19 Participatory Panel Deliberative Policy Engagement (published August 2022) Food Experiences During COVID-19 - Participatory Methods in Practice: Key Learning (published August 2022)

Work package 3: Local area case studies

Fourteen local areas across the UK were the focus for more in depth case study research. Working with local stakeholders in each area, the research mapped what local responses looked like and how they operated. The research followed the developments in these areas throughout the duration of the project.

Work package 3 publications: Comparing local responses to household food insecurity during COVID-19 across the UK (March – August 2020) – Executive Summary (published July 2021) Comparing local responses to household food insecurity during COVID-19 across the UK (March – August 2020) (published July 2021). Eight local case study reports covering responses in those areas between March and August 2020: Argyll and Bute, Belfast, Cardiff, Derry and Strabane, Herefordshire, Moray, Swansea, West Berkshire (published July 2021). Local Area Case Studies – Methodological Appendix (published July 2021) Local responses to household food insecurity during COVID-19 across the UK (March – August 2020): Full report (published July 2021) Local responses to household food insecurity across the UK...

The DIECovidSurvey was conducted by the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) in collaboration with the Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e.V. (dvv) in fall 2020 to examine the impact of the Corona pandemic on German adult education centers (vhs). The questionnaire was developed jointly by DIE and dvv. The core of the survey is detailed information about the range of events offered during the first lockdown in spring and early summer 2020, when events in attendance were prohibited. The questionnaire collects detailed information for each program area on the number of courses and individual events planned before the lockdown and actually held during the lockdown, as well as the event format (face-to-face/blended learning/online). Further contents of the survey concern the personnel and financial situation, the available space, effects of the pandemic on participant groups, the use of digital technologies including vhs.cloud, the inclusion of corona-related events in the program, assessments of the situation at the time of the survey, as well as future strategies and perceived challenges with regard to digitization and program design. The survey was conducted as an online survey in LimeSurvey, with an invitation to participate sent to all German vhs. (Project) Topics: Pre-pandemic room availability, semester rhythm and corona-related closing times, fee contracts, study trips/travel; Events offered: Politics - Society - Environment, Culture - Design, Health, Languages, Integration Courses and DeuFöV Courses, Qualifications for Working Life, School Leaving Certificates, Basic Education; Changes in course participants, summer programme 2020, current rooms and fee contracts, event planning autumn 2020, comparison of event offers autumn 2020/2019, difficulties in planning face-to-face events, difficulties in planning digital learning offers; Previous experience with digital learning offers & vhs.cloud, use of vhs.cloud, changes in cloud users, experience with digital learning offers in Pandemic, influence of Pandemic on digital learning offers; Failures and repayments of participation fees, public support measures, financial burdens, reference of educational offers to COVID-19, challenges Das DIECovidSurvey wurde vom Deutschen Institut für Erwachsenenbildung (DIE) in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Deutschen Volkshochschulverband (dvv) im Herbst 2020 durchgeführt, um die Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie auf die deutschen Volkshochschulen (vhs) zu untersuchen. Der Fragebogen wurde von DIE und dvv gemeinsam entwickelt. Kernstück der Befragung sind detaillierte Angaben über das Veranstaltungsangebot im ersten Lockdown im Frühling und Frühsommer 2020, als Veranstaltungen in Präsenz untersagt waren. Der Fragebogen erhebt detailliert für jeden Programmbereich die Zahl der vor Lockdown geplanten sowie im Lockdown tatsächlich durchgeführten Kurse und Einzelveranstaltungen sowie das Veranstaltungsformat (Präsenz/Blended Learning/Online). Weitere Inhalte der Befragung betreffen die personelle und finanzielle Situation, das verfügbare Raumangebot, Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf Teilnehmendengruppen, die Nutzung digitaler Technologien inklusive der vhs.cloud, die Aufnahme coronabezogener Veranstaltungen ins Programm, Einschätzungen der Lage zum Befragungszeitpunkt, sowie zukünftige Strategien und wahrgenommene Herausforderungen in Bezug auf Digitalisierung und Programmgestaltung. Die Erhebung wurde als Online-Befragung in LimeSurvey durchgeführt, wobei eine Aufforderung zur Teilnahme an alle deutschen vhs erging. (Projekt)

The International Energy Agency expects global oil demand do decline by 9.3 million barrels per day in 2020 compared to the previous year. The coronavirus pandemic and resulting decline in consumer demand have had catastrophic implications for many oil producers, with concerns about dwindling storage capacities resulting in many benchmark oil prices reaching new lows. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Fact and Figures page.

UK undergraduates completed the 21 item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) in the autumn of 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017. Overall, we had 763 participants. We compared depression, anxiety and stress subscale scores as well as scores on each question of the DASS-21 across the four years.

Asian and European studies suggest that the Covid-19 pandemic is worsening university student mental health. We aimed to investigate whether this was also the case in the UK.

As of July 2020, 36 percent of respondents in the United States were very concerned that their children were falling behind in school because of the coronavirus pandemic, while nine percent were not concerned at all.

BackgroundA higher risk of suicidal ideation associated with self-report of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-like symptoms or COVID-19 infection has been observed in cross-sectional studies, but evidence from longitudinal studies remains limited. The aims of this study were 2-fold: (1) to explore if self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020 were associated with suicidal ideation in 2021; (2) to explore if the association also existed when using a biological marker of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in 2020.Methods and findingsA total of 52,050 participants from the French EpiCov cohort were included (median follow-up time = 13.7 months). In terms of demographics, 53.84% were women, 60.92% were over 45 years old, 82.01% were born in mainland France from parents born in mainland France, and 59.38% completed high school. COVID-19-like symptoms were defined as participant report of a sudden loss of taste/smell or fever alongside cough, shortness of breath, or chest oppression, between February and November 2020. Symptoms were self-reported at baseline in May 2020 and at the first follow-up in Autumn 2020. Serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 was derived from Spike protein ELISA test screening in dried-blood-spot samples. Samples were collected from October 2020 to March 2021, with 94.4% collected in 2020. Suicidal ideation since December 2020 was self-reported at the second follow-up in Summer 2021. Associations of self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms and serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 with suicidal ideation in 2021 were ascertained using modified Poisson regression models, weighted by inverse probability weights computed from propensity scores. Among the 52,050 participants, 1.68% [1.54% to 1.82%] reported suicidal ideation in 2021, 9.57% [9.24% to 9.90%] had a serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, and 13.23% [12.86% to 13.61%] reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020. Self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020 were associated with higher risks of later suicidal ideation in 2021 (Relative Riskipw [95% CI] = 1.43 [1.20 to 1.69]), while serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 was not (RRipw = 0.89 [0.70 to 1.13]). Limitations of this study include the use of a single question to assess suicidal ideation, the use of self-reported history of mental health disorders, and limited generalizability due to attrition bias.ConclusionsSelf-reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020, but not serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, were associated with a higher risk of subsequent suicidal ideation in 2021. The exact role of SARS-CoV-2 infection with respect to suicide risk has yet to be clarified. Including mental health resources in COVID-19-related settings could encourage symptomatic individuals to care for their mental health and limit suicidal ideation to emerge or worsen.

The National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) is a population-based study of health and social factors on a national scale, aiming to understand the well-being of older, community-dwelling Americans by examining the interactions among physical health, illness, medication use, cognitive function, emotional health, sensory function, health behaviors, and social connectedness. It is designed to provide health providers, policy makers, and individuals with useful information and insights into these factors, particularly on social and intimate relationships. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC), along with Principal Investigators at the University of Chicago, conducted more than 3,000 interviews during 2005 and 2006 with a nationally representative sample of adults aged 57 to 85. Face-to-face interviews and biomeasure collection took place in respondents' homes. Round 3 was conducted from September 2015 through November 2016, where 2,409 surviving Round 2 respondents were re-interviewed, and a New Cohort consisting of adults born between 1948 and 1965 together with their spouses or co-resident partners was added. All together, 4,777 respondents were interviewed in Round 3. The following files constitute Round 3: Core Data, Social Networks Data, Disposition of Returning Respondent Partner Data, and Proxy Data. Included in the Core files (Datasets 1 and 2) are demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, education, race, and ethnicity. Other topics covered respondents' social networks, social and cultural activity, physical and mental health including cognition, well-being, illness, history of sexual and intimate partnerships and patient-physician communication, in addition to bereavement items. In addition data on a panel of biomeasures including, weight, waist circumference, height, and blood pressure was collected. The Social Networks (Datasets 3 and 4) files detail respondents' current relationship status with each person identified on the network roster. The Disposition of Returning Respondent Partner (Datasets 5 and 6) files detail information derived from Section 6A items regarding the partner from Rounds 1 and 2 within the questionnaire. This provides a complete history for respondent partners across both rounds. The Proxy (Datasets 7 and 8) files contain final health data for Round 1 and Round 2 respondents who could not participate in NSHAP due to disability or death. The COVID-19 sub-study, administered to NSHAP R3 respondents in the Fall of 2020, was a brief self-report questionnaire that probed how the coronavirus pandemic changed older adults' lives. The COVID-19 sub-study questionnaire was limited to assessing specific domains in which respondents may have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including: (1) COVID experiences, (2) health and health care, (3) job and finances, (4) social support, (5) marital status and relationship quality, (6) social activity and engagement, (7) living arrangements, (8) household composition and size, (9) mental health, (10) elder mistreatment, (11) health behaviors, and (12) positive impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Questions about engagement in racial justice issues since the death of George Floyd in police custody were also added to facilitate analysis of the independent and compounding effects of both the COVID-19 pandemic and reckoning with longstanding racial injustice in America.

According to a survey conducted by BI Norwegian Business School in fall 2020, students were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and had changed their media behaviors. The most important source when searching for information about the coronavirus was newspapers' websites, with 81 percent of respondents. In second place was social media, at half of people interviewed. Radio and podcasts were least popular when looking up coronavirus-related news.

The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic continues to have major impacts on children's education, with schools required to implement infection control measures that have led to long periods of absence and classroom closures. We have developed an agent-based epidemiological model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission that allows us to quantify projected infection patterns within primary school classrooms, and related uncertainties; the basis of our approach is a contact model constructed using random networks, informed by structured expert judgment. The effectiveness of mitigation strategies is considered in terms of effectiveness at suppressing infection outbreaks and limiting pupil absence. Covid-19 infections in schools in the UK in Autumn 2020 are re-examined and the model used for forecasting infection levels in autumn 2021, as the more infectious Delta-variant was emerging and school transmission was thought likely to play a major role in an incipient new wave of the epidemic. Our results are in good agreement with available data and indicate that testing-based surveillance of infections in the classroom population with isolation of positive cases is a more effective mitigation measure than bubble quarantine both for reducing transmission in primary schools and for avoiding pupil absence, even accounting for the insensitivity of self-administered tests. Bubble quarantine entails large numbers of pupils being absent from school, with only a modest impact on classroom infection levels. However, maintaining a reduced contact rate within the classroom can have a major beneficial impact on managing Covid-19 in school settings.

With COVID-19 at the forefront, people may not have been aware of the importance of seeking medical help for early signs of cancer or taking up screening, when available, to diagnose cancer sooner. In addition, some people may not have wanted to be referred to a hospital for diagnostic tests due to fear of catching coronavirus in the healthcare setting. COVID-19 may have also affected whether people took part in healthy behaviours that could reduce the chances of getting cancer. These factors may have led to more cancers occurring, and more cancers being diagnosed at a late stage when treatment may be less successful.

To understand peoples experiences and attitudes towards potential symptoms of cancer, their help-seeking behaviours and engagement in prevention behaviours (i.e. smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol consumption) during the pandemic we carried out a large study in adults aged 18+ across the UK. We aimed to include adults from a range of different backgrounds.

Working closely with Cancer Research UK, we carried out an online survey with over 7,500 people to ask about any recent symptoms, cancer screening and health behaviours during the UK lockdown period. Survey questions included the time taken to visit the GP with a range of possible cancer symptoms, attitudes to cancer screening, anxiety about seeking help in the current situation, other barriers to seeking help, health behaviours including smoking, alcohol, diet and physical activity, and preferred ways of receiving public health information. The survey was repeated 6 months later to assess any changes in attitudes.

We also interview 26 people (by telephone) who had taken part in the survey across two timepoints (autumn 2020 and spring 2021) to understand their attitudes and behaviours in more detail and how these changed during the course of the pandemic.

Our study findings have been used to help in rapidly developing clear public health messages to encouraging people to act on the early signs of cancer, take up cancer screening when it became available and engage in healthy behaviours. Results from our study have been used to help to reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 on cancer outcomes in the longer term.

Background: The impact of COVID-19 on the UK public attitude towards cancer and potential cancer symptom help-seeking is likely to be considerable, translating into impact on the NHS from delayed referrals, missed screening and later-stage cancer diagnosis.

Aim: The aim of this study was to generate rapid self-report evidence on public views/responses of the covid-19 pandemic on caner symptoms to support and inform public health interventions with the potential to encourage: 1. timely symptom presentation, 2. engagement with cancer screening services and 3. improve cancer-related health behaviours I the wake of the pandemic.

Design: Prospective mixed-methods cohort study in the UK population.

Methods: During June-August 2020, and again six month later, we will conduct UK-wide online population survey of adults ages 18+. We measured attitudes and behaviour in the domains of 1. cancer symptom presentation, 2. intentions to engage with cancer screening, 3. Engagement in cancer-risk behaviours such as smoking, increased alcohol, poor diet and reduced physical activity. We sampled from established online cohorts (via CRUK and HealthWise Wales), supplemented with social media recruitment. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of survey participants to understand contextual influences on cancer attitudes and behaviours.

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, adolescents' mental health was largely undermined. A general increment in screen time was reported. However, the long-term effects of the latter on adolescents' mental health are still little explored.MethodsIn the present natural experiment, we investigated these effects using longitudinal data collected before and after the first lockdown in Switzerland. Data come from 674 Swiss adolescents (56.7% females, Mage = 14.45, SDage = 0.50) during Spring 2019 (T1) and Autumn 2020 (T2) as part of the longitudinal MEDIATICINO study. Self-reported mental health measures included somatic symptoms, inattention, anxiety, irritability, anger, sleep problems, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, loneliness, and depression. Measures for screen-media activities included time spent on the Internet, smartphones, social media, video gaming, instant messaging, and television viewing. They were all assessed at T1 and T2.ResultsPaired-sample t-tests with Bonferroni's correction showed that most mental health problems increased over time with an overall medium effect size (Hedge's g = 0.337). In particular, medium effect sizes were found for anxiety, depression, and inattention; small-to-medium effect sizes were reported for loneliness, sleep problems, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms; and a small effect size was found for somatic symptoms. Screen-media activities increased, with the exception of television viewing and video gaming. The results of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that, controlling for covariates, increased time spent on social media – calculated as the difference between T2 and T1 – was the only screen-media activity significantly associated with worse mental health at T2 (β = 0.112, p = 0.016). More time spent in structured media activities like television viewing diminished levels of inattention (β = −0.091, p = 0.021) and anxiety (β = −0.093, p = 0.014). Among covariates, being female, experiencing two or more life events, having mental health problems at T1, and using screens for homeschooling negatively influenced mental health at T2.ConclusionThese results align with literature indicating a small but negative effect of social media time on mental health. Underlying mechanisms are manifold, including increased exposure to COVID-19 news, heightened fear of missing out, social comparison, and time-displaced for activities such as physical activity and green time. However, in line with the structured days hypothesis, getting involved in media-structured activities like television viewing might protect against mental health symptoms.

Since its emergence in late 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread globally, causing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the fall of 2020, the Alpha variant (lineage B.1.1.7) was detected in England and spread rapidly, outcompeting the previous lineage. Yet, very little is known about the underlying modifications of the infection process that can explain this selective advantage. Here, we try to quantify how the Alpha variant differed from its predecessor on two phenotypic traits: the transmission rate and the duration of infectiousness. To this end, we analysed the joint epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics as a function of the Stringency Index, a measure of the amount of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions. Assuming that these control measures reduce contact rates and transmission, we developed a two-step approach based on SEIR models and the analysis of a combination of epidemiological and evolutionary information. First, we quantify the link between the Stringency Index and the reduction in viral transmission. Secondly, based on a novel theoretical derivation of the selection gradient in an SEIR model, we infer the phenotype of the Alpha variant from its frequency changes. We show that its selective advantage is more likely to result from a higher transmission than from a longer infectious period. Our work illustrates how the analysis of the joint epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of infectious diseases can help understand the phenotypic evolution driving pathogen adaptation.