People with underlying health conditions and aged over 70 years are more likely to develop serious health problems from the coronavirus. However, other population groups, such as young people, are also affected during the pandemic.  

Researchers at the University of Bristol are carrying out a qualitative study to understand how the pandemic has impacted on young people’s mental, social and physical outcomes, to what extent young people adhered to social distancing measures, and document the acceptability of vaccination against COVID-19 among young people.  

Study timeline 

  • May-September 2020: Interviews with 20 young people aged 12 to 17 years old 
  • June-October 2020: Data analysis using thematic analysis
  • October 2020: Early results.
  • November-December: Report writing and developing recommendations to improve support for young people and increase their adherence to public health advice during an infectious disease pandemic.

Results

Twenty-one young people aged 12 to 17 years took part in 18 interviews either by phone or a digital platform. You can read a summary of the findings on our blog. 

Update July 2021: The full results have been published online in Public Health in Practice. See the paper: Experiences of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic from the perspectives of young people: Rapid qualitative study by Harriet Fisher, Helen Lambert, Matthew Hickman, Lucy Yardley and Suzanne Audrey.

Funder

This project is funded by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research at the University of Bristol. 

Study contact

Dr Harriet Fisher