Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39820031›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom on adolescent's time use (CONTRAST study).

Irina Pokhilenko, Emma Frew, Marie Murphy, Miranda Pallan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Irina PokhilenkoCentre for Economics of Obesity, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-6390-2851
Emma FrewCentre for Economics of Obesity, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Marie MurphyInstitute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Miranda PallanInstitute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-2868-4892

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in everyone's lives, including adolescents. Given that adolescence is a crucial developmental stage, designing strategies to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 on adolescents is critical. Furthermore, there is a growing literature on the relationship between how adolescents spend their time and impact upon health, nutrition, educational attainment and overall well-being outcomes, and the existence of a socioeconomic gradient with how time is allocated. Therefore, this study explored changes in adolescents' time use during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK and the relationship between these changes and individual-level socioeconomic indicators including family affluence, free school meal eligibility, and food insecurity.

methodsThe data were collected from 11-15-year-olds using an online survey, which contained questions on demographic characteristics, socioeconomic indicators, and time use across a range of activities before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Changes in time use in relation to socioeconomic indicators were explored using descriptive and regression analysis.

results687 adolescents completed the survey. There was an overall decrease in the amount of time spent on school work, an increase in screen time, and an increase in sleep duration during the week. Descriptive analysis showed evidence of inequalities with changes in time use. In adjusted regression analyses, family affluence was associated with a greater increase in time spent on socialising with household members and a decrease in time spent on exercise. Free school meal eligibility and experience of food insecurity were associated with an increase in sleep duration. DISCUSSION: This study contributes to the body of evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and suggests that some of the pre-lockdown inequalities in time allocation were attenuated as a result of the lockdown. Furthermore, the results underscore the need for longer term surveillance to monitor changes in time use in adolescents to mitigate the impact on outcomes over the life course.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdolescentChildFemaleFood InsecurityHumansMalePandemicsQuarantineSARS-CoV-2Screen TimeSocioeconomic FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesTime FactorsUnited Kingdom

Identifiers

PMID39820031
PMCPMC11737780

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.