University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd Bldg 14, Room G128, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Oct 20;23(1):2059. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16899-8.
Research on the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection is ongoing, and the psychological and physical impacts of Long Covid on youth is poorly understood. To assess these impacts, we surveyed youth regarding their experiences with, and perspectives on, the long-term effects of COVID-19.
We conducted a nationwide text message survey of youth ages 14-24 years in the United States. The survey asked four open ended questions regarding their experiences and perceptions regarding the long-term effects of COVID-19. Qualitative data was analyzed independently by three investigators using thematic analysis. Prevalence of codes were summarized using descriptive statistics.
Among 1150 participants, 991 responded to at least one survey question (response rate 86.1%). The vast majority of our sample had COVID-19 or knew someone who did (75%), and approximately one third (32%) of youth indicated that they knew someone who had experienced symptoms consistent with Long Covid. Many youth (50%) reported worry and concern about Long Covid even if they, or someone they knew, did not have Long Covid. Among youth who were not concerned about Long Covid, the most commonly reported reasons were having received the vaccine (29%) and not having a prior COVID-19 infection (24%).
Our findings suggest that among younger populations, there is significant concern regarding the long-term effects of COVID-19. Vaccination campaigns and youth-centered public health communication about Long Covid may not only reduce COVID-19 transmission, but also alleviate worries and concerns about Long Covid among youth.
关于 COVID-19 感染长期影响的研究正在进行中，而年轻人的长新冠的心理和生理影响还了解甚少。为了评估这些影响，我们调查了年轻人对 COVID-19 长期影响的经历和看法。
我们对美国 14-24 岁的年轻人进行了一项全国性的短信调查。该调查询问了他们关于 COVID-19 长期影响的经历和看法的四个开放性问题。三位研究人员独立使用主题分析对定性数据进行分析。使用描述性统计总结代码的出现频率。
在 1150 名参与者中，有 991 名至少回答了一个调查问题（回应率为 86.1%）。我们的样本绝大多数人都感染过 COVID-19 或认识感染过的人（75%），大约三分之一（32%）的年轻人表示，他们认识有符合长新冠症状的人。许多年轻人（50%）表示担心长新冠，即使他们或他们认识的人没有长新冠。在不担心长新冠的年轻人中，最常报告的原因是接种了疫苗（29%）和没有先前的 COVID-19 感染（24%）。
我们的研究结果表明，在年轻人群中，对 COVID-19 的长期影响存在着明显的担忧。疫苗接种活动和以年轻人为中心的关于长新冠的公共卫生宣传，不仅可以减少 COVID-19 的传播，还可以减轻年轻人对长新冠的担忧。
