Examining the Effects of County-Level COVID-19 Policies on Child Nutrition and Health Equity to Inform Current and Future Policymaking

Start Date: June 2023

ID #: 283-5110

Principal Investigator: Rita Hamad, MD, PhD

Co-Principal Investigator: Hilary Seligman, MD, MAS

Organization: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Funding Round: ARPA2

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, policies either mitigated or exacerbated inequities in child health. Existing research has focused on evaluating the effects of federal and state COVID-19-related policies; however, understanding the role of local county policies is also critical to informing current and future policymaking to support child nutrition and health. This study will link data from the NIH-funded US COVID-19 County Policy (UCCP) Database with national survey data to 1) assess how county policies affected child nutrition and health; and 2) conduct subgroup analyses to assess how policies affected disparities in outcomes among vulnerable subgroups of children.

Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)

Keywords: COVID-19, Equity and disparities, Food insecurity, Healthy weight, Housing, Law/policy, Poverty & economic well-being, Supportive family policies

Resource Type: Grant Summary

State: National

Focus Area: Nutrition Policy & Programs

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