4 results
Search Results
2. How the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures reduce physical activity among children and adolescents in the WHO European Region: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Author
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Ludwig-Walz, Helena, Siemens, Waldemar, Heinisch, Sarah, Dannheim, Indra, Loss, Julika, and Bujard, Martin
- Subjects
ONLINE information services ,PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems ,MEDICAL databases ,SPORTS participation ,META-analysis ,MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,PHYSICAL activity ,EXERCISE ,EXERCISE intensity ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,STAY-at-home orders ,MEDLINE ,STATISTICAL models ,COVID-19 pandemic ,CHILDREN ,ADOLESCENCE - Abstract
Background: Emerging research suggests that physical activity among children and adolescents decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a differentiated overview of European youth is lacking. In particular, no systematic analysis has been conducted to date on the impact of heterogeneous pandemic restrictions and school closures within European countries, and with regard to potentially vulnerable groups. Methods: We searched seven databases and included studies for children and adolescents (≤ 19 years) of the WHO European Region that compared physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic with a pre-pandemic baseline using validated measurement instruments. We used the Oxford Stringency Index and School Closure Index as indicators of restriction stringency. Screening for eligibility, data extraction, assessment of the study risk of bias (using the 'Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies - of Exposure' [ROBINS-E]) and certainty grading of evidence (using the GRADE approach), were all done in duplicate. Unpublished data was requested from study authors. Data were pooled in random effects models. An a priori protocol was published, reporting is carried out in accordance with the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses' (PRISMA) statement. Results: Of 14,897 non-duplicate records, 26 publications (n = 15,038 pre-pandemic, n = 13,041 during pandemic) met full inclusion criteria. Comparison before and during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a significant reduction in total physical activity (standardized mean difference [SMD], -0.57 [95%CI, -0.95; -0.20]) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (SMD, -0.43 [95% CI, -0.75; -0.10]), corresponding to a decrease of 12 min per day (a 20% reduction of the WHO recommendation). A decrease in sporting activity was also recorded. Subgroup analyses suggested that middle childhood (aged 8–12) and adolescents were particularly affected by the decline. School closures were associated with a reduction in physical activity. The certainty of evidence for all outcomes was low. Conclusions: A sharp decline in all forms of physical activity was recorded among European children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This decline was higher during periods of school closure and mainly affected younger schoolchildren and adolescents. Immediate action by policy-makers and practitioners, as well as evidence-based public health strategies, are imperative in reversing this trend. Trial registration: PROSPERO: CRD42023395871 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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3. Impact of 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns on particulate air pollution across Europe.
- Author
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Putaud, Jean-Philippe, Pisoni, Enrico, Mangold, Alexander, Hueglin, Christoph, Sciare, Jean, Pikridas, Michael, Savvides, Chrysanthos, Ondracek, Jakub, Mbengue, Saliou, Wiedensohler, Alfred, Weinhold, Kay, Merkel, Maik, Poulain, Laurent, van Pinxteren, Dominik, Herrmann, Hartmut, Massling, Andreas, Nordstroem, Claus, Alastuey, Andrés, Reche, Cristina, and Pérez, Noemí
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AIR pollution ,STAY-at-home orders ,FOSSIL trees ,COVID-19 ,COVID-19 pandemic ,FUELWOOD - Abstract
To fight against the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 2020, lockdown measures were implemented in most European countries. These lockdowns had well-documented effects on human mobility. We assessed the impact of the lockdown implementation and relaxation on air pollution by comparing daily particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) concentrations, as well as particle number size distributions (PNSDs) and particle light absorption coefficient in situ measurement data, with values that would have been expected if no COVID-19 epidemic had occurred at 28 sites across Europe for the period 17 February–31 May 2020. Expected PM, NO2 and O3 concentrations were calculated from the 2020 Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) ensemble forecasts, combined with 2019 CAMS ensemble forecasts and measurement data. On average, lockdown implementations did not lead to a decrease in PM 2.5 mass concentrations at urban sites, while relaxations resulted in a + 26 ± 21 % rebound. The impacts of lockdown implementation and relaxation on NO2 concentrations were more consistent (- 29 ± 17 and + 31 ± 30 %, respectively). The implementation of the lockdown measures also induced statistically significant increases in O3 concentrations at half of all sites (+ 13 % on average). An enhanced oxidising capacity of the atmosphere could have boosted the production of secondary aerosol at those places. By comparison with 2017–2019 measurement data, a significant change in the relative contributions of wood and fossil fuel burning to the concentration of black carbon during the lockdown was detected at 7 out of 14 sites. The contribution of particles smaller than 70 nm to the total number of particles significantly also changed at most of the urban sites, with a mean decrease of - 7 ± 5 % coinciding with the lockdown implementation. Our study shows that the response of PM 2.5 and PM 10 mass concentrations to lockdown measures was not systematic at various sites across Europe for multiple reasons, the relationship between road traffic intensity and particulate air pollution being more complex than expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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4. Space-Time Machine Learning Models to Analyze COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown Effects on Aerosol Optical Depth over Europe.
- Author
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Ibrahim, Saleem, Landa, Martin, Pešek, Ondřej, Pavelka, Karel, and Halounova, Lena
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COVID-19 pandemic ,MACHINE learning ,STAY-at-home orders ,AEROSOLS ,ATMOSPHERIC aerosols - Abstract
The recent COVID-19 pandemic affected various aspects of life. Several studies established the consequences of pandemic lockdown on air quality using satellite remote sensing. However, such studies have limitations, including low spatial resolution or incomplete spatial coverage. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a machine learning-based scheme to solve the pre-mentioned limitations by training an optimized space-time extra trees model for each year of the study period. The results have shown that our trained models reach a prediction accuracy up to 95% when predicting the missing values in the MODIS MCD19A2 Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) product. The outcome of the mentioned scheme was a geo-harmonized atmospheric dataset for aerosol optical depth at 550 nm with 1 km spatial resolution and full coverage over Europe. As an application, we used the proposed machine learning based prediction approach in AOD levels analysis. We compared the mean AOD levels between the lockdown period from March to June in 2020 and the mean AOD values of the same period for the past 5 years. We found that AOD levels dropped over most European countries in 2020 but increased in several eastern and western countries. The Netherlands had the most significant average decrease in AOD levels (19%), while Spain had the highest average increase (10%). Moreover, we analyzed the relationship between the relative percentage difference of AOD and four meteorological variables. We found a positive correlation between AOD and relative humidity and a negative correlation between AOD and wind speed. The value of the proposed prediction scheme is further emphasized by taking into consideration that the reconstructed dataset can be used for future air quality studies concerning Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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