School of Nursing and Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Nairobi 00623, Kenya.
Department of Population Health, Aga Khan University, Nairobi 00100, Kenya.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Sep 25;17(19):7028. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17197028.
In Kenya, millions of children have limited access to nurturing care. With the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is anticipated that vulnerable children will bear the biggest brunt of the direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic. This review aimed to deepen understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on nurturing care from conception to four years of age, a period where the care of children is often delivered through caregivers or other informal platforms. The review has drawn upon the empirical evidence from previous pandemics and epidemics, and anecdotal and emerging evidence from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Multifactorial impacts fall into five key domains: direct health; health and nutrition systems; economic protection; social and child protection; and child development and early learning. The review proposes program and policy strategies to guide the reorientation of nurturing care, prevent the detrimental effects associated with deteriorating nurturing care environments, and support the optimal development of the youngest and most vulnerable children. These include the provision of cash transfers and essential supplies for vulnerable households and strengthening of community-based platforms for nurturing care. Further research on COVID-19 and the ability of children's ecology to provide nurturing care is needed, as is further testing of new ideas.
在肯尼亚，数以百万计的儿童获得关爱护理的机会有限。随着 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行，预计弱势儿童将首当其冲地受到大流行直接和间接影响的冲击。本综述旨在深入了解 COVID-19 对从怀孕到四岁儿童关爱护理的影响，这一时期的儿童护理通常通过照顾者或其他非正式平台提供。本综述借鉴了以往大流行和流行病的经验证据，以及正在发生的 COVID-19 危机中的轶事和新出现的证据。多因素影响分为五个关键领域：直接健康；卫生和营养系统；经济保护；社会和儿童保护；以及儿童发展和早期学习。本综述提出了方案和政策战略，以指导关爱护理的重新定位，防止与恶化关爱护理环境相关的不利影响，并支持最年轻和最弱势儿童的最佳发展。这些包括为弱势家庭提供现金转移和基本用品，以及加强关爱护理的社区平台。需要进一步研究 COVID-19 以及儿童生态系统提供关爱护理的能力，还需要进一步测试新想法。
