Rapid-Cycle Community Assessment of Health-Related Social Needs of Children and Families During Coronavirus Disease 2019

• Published in: Academic pediatrics 2021-05, Vol.21 (4), p.677-683
• Main Authors: Ray, Kristin N., Ettinger, Anna K., Dwarakanath, Namita, Mistry, Sejal V., Bey, Jamil, Chaves-Gnecco, Diego, Alston, Kaila A., Ripper, Lisa, Lavage, Daniel R., Landsittel, Douglas P., Miller, Elizabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: children; coronavirus; coronavirus disease 2019; health-related social needs
• ISSN: 1876-2859; 1876-2867
• DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2020.10.004

To identify unmet health and social resource needs during a county-wide coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) stay-at-home order and phased re-opening in Western Pennsylvania. With public health, social service, and community partners connected through an ongoing academic-community collaborative, we developed and fielded a weekly repeated cross-sectional electronic survey assessing usage of and unmet need for health and social service resources. Using 10 weeks of surveys (April 3–June 11, 2020) by Allegheny County residents, we examined variation in responses by week and by sociodemographic characteristics using chi-square tests. We shared written reports weekly and discussed emerging trends with community partners. Participants ranged from 229 to 1001 per week. Unmet need for at least 1 health or health-related social need resource varied by week, ranging from 55% (95% confidence interval [CI] 50%–59%) of participants in week 2 to 43% (95% CI 37%–49%) of participants in week 9 (P = .006). Increased use of at least 1 resource ranged from 53% (95% CI 47%–58%) of participants in week 3 to 36% (95% CI 31%–42%) in week 9 (P < .001). Unmet need for food and financial assistance peaked early during the stay-at-home order, while unmet need for mental health care rose later. Unmet need for food assistance varied significantly by race and ethnicity and by household prepandemic income. Over half of families with children reported unmet health or social service needs during the first month of a county-wide COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Unmet needs varied with race, ethnicity, and income and with duration of the stay-at-home order.