HAARLEM Many students in Kennemerland are concerned about their loved ones and want to prevent infections with the corona virus. Almost three quarters are afraid of contaminating their environment. This is evident from the ‘Corona Auction Youth 2021’, a study by GGD Kennemerland into health, welfare and lifestyle and the consequences of the corona crisis for students in secondary education.
In January-February, almost two thousand pupils from secondary schools in Kennemerland completed a digital questionnaire at home for the survey, which they received through school. The results of the ‘Corona Polling Youth’ are a supplement to earlier studies by the GGD on youth.
This makes them one of the information sources for health policy in the municipalities of the GGD region Kennemerland. Municipalities and GGD will jointly discuss which outcomes require further attention and / or lend themselves to a preventive approach. Earlier this month, GGD Kennemerland already launched a campaign to make mental health among residents, including young people, a topic of discussion.
MEASURES Three quarters of the respondents think it is important that young people adhere to the measures. 72 percent are afraid of infecting others with the corona virus, 17 percent are even very afraid of it. 60 percent are afraid that family or friends will (again) become ill due to the corona virus. Far fewer students (18 percent) are afraid of becoming ill (again).
LONELINESS AND BULLYING Where possible, the results of second and fourth graders in this Corona poll have been compared with the results of the Health Monitor Youth 2019. This study was only conducted among students in these classes. The percentage of students at risk of loneliness is now 30 percent for second and fourth graders, more than twice as high as in 2019 (14 percent). Online bullying has also doubled: 11 percent of second and fourth graders have been bullied via the internet in the past three months, compared to 5 percent in 2019.
STRESS The students were also directly asked about the changes in their lives as a result of the corona crisis: 38 percent indicated that they had more stress, 22 percent felt more depressed and 16 percent felt more afraid than before the corona crisis. The corona crisis has more mental impact on older students than on younger students: of the students in grades five and six, 57 percent indicate that they have more stress, 37 percent feel more depressed and 25 percent feel more afraid than before the corona crisis, while students from class one and two, this is respectively 30, 15 and 11 percent. In addition, older students are more likely to say that they are lagging behind with schoolwork due to digital lessons and that they understand the subject matter less well than younger students.
The reports of the Corona Polling Youth can be found in the Health Atlas of GGD Kennemerland on www.gezondheidsatlaskennemerland.nl
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