Grant: Project Grant

Canada is entering its second year of a public health emergency, with each province/territory employing varying containment policies given differences in the extent and intensity of the pandemic across the country. As the pandemic continues, Canadian children, youth (hereafter, children) and their families face major economic, social and psychosocial stressors. The impact of these stressors on health and well-being will likely be unequal, disproportionately affecting families living in adverse socio-economic circumstances, as well as those with pre-existing physical, mental and neurodevelopmental conditions. The magnitude and distribution of these impacts for Canadian children and their families, however, remains largely unknown. To understand impact and inform policy responses and practice, reliable evidence collected at the population level, with comparable pre-pandemic data, is required. We propose to leverage the 2019 Canadian Health Survey of Children and Youth (CHSCY) - a nationally-representative sample of 26,870 children aged 1-17 years with data collected by Statistics Canada immediately prior to the pandemic - and conduct a follow-up survey with this sample in 2022, when they are 4-20 years of age. In doing so, we will: (a) examine longitudinal changes in health and functioning, before versus after the pandemic; and (b) examine the extent to which changes in health and functioning are more pronounced for specific population subgroups and communities. By documenting the scale of change in population health over time (pre- vs. post-pandemic) and by identifying sub-groups most vulnerable to ill-health, we will provide policymakers and service provides with reliable, high-quality evidence to inform resource allocation, universal and targeted intervention strategies, and mitigation strategies for future pandemic preparedness.