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Prolonged School Closure and Pediatric Respiratory Hospitalization: The Silver Lining of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ali J Bazzi1, Zahur Fatima Sallman1, Alyssa M Greenwell1
1Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA.
Insights
Prolonged school closures significantly reduced pediatric respiratory hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding is crucial for future pandemic response strategies concerning child health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented public health interventions, including prolonged school closures.
- Understanding the impact of these measures on pediatric respiratory health is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess the association between extended school closures (>2 weeks) and pediatric respiratory hospitalizations.
- To analyze trends in specific respiratory diagnoses during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study involving 1243 pediatric patients at a single center.
- Comparison of respiratory hospitalizations during winter months of 2019, 2020, and 2021.
- Statistical analysis using a 2-sample z-test for proportions.
Main Results:
- Pediatric respiratory hospitalizations decreased significantly during prolonged school closure periods in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019.
- Observed reductions in hospitalizations for bronchiolitis, asthma/reactive airway disease (RAD), and pneumonia.
- Specific data: 9% hospitalization rate during closure vs. 47% (2019) and 45% (2021).
Conclusions:
- Prolonged school closures were associated with a significant decrease in pediatric respiratory hospitalizations.
- These findings should inform pandemic response strategies to mitigate respiratory illness burden in children.
Abstract:
Objective. This is a single-center retrospective cohort study that aimed to quantitatively assess the association between prolonged school closure (>2 weeks) and pediatric respiratory hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. Subjects included 1243 patients presenting to Children's Hospital of Michigan during the winters of 2019, 2020, and 2021. The primary outcome measures were total respiratory hospitalizations and respiratory diagnoses. Results. Data was analyzed using a 2-sample z-test for proportions. We found that pediatric patients in the setting of prolonged school closure had significantly fewer hospitalizations in 2020 compared to 2019 (9% vs 47%; P < .001) and 2021 (9% vs 45%; P < .001). There were decreases in bronchiolitis, asthma/reactive airway disease (RAD), and pneumonia hospitalizations compared to 2019 and 2021. Conclusions. Our study showed that during prolonged school closure, there was a significant decrease in pediatric respiratory hospitalization. As such, it should be considered when creating a pandemic response strategy.
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