Conducting Research Project in the Situation of COVID-19 Pandemic

Description

In the countries of the WHO European Region, overweight and obesity are common problems in the population. From 25.11.2020 to13.04.2021 the “Study on physical activity, dietary habits and body mass index for 5–6-year-old preschool children in Latvia” was implemented within the framework of European Social Fund project “Complex health promotion and disease prevention measures” ( No. 9.2.4.1/16/I/001).The objective of the presentation is to show how, using an innovative methodological approach, it is possible to achieve the research goal - to obtain representative, evidence-based information about the prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool children, children's physical activity, nutritional habits in Latvia, in the context of COVID 19.. The study includes 490 kindergartens attended by 16,624 children, using a stratified cluster sample. The epidemiological situation caused by COVID-19 created risks for conducting the project. The researchers as unauthorized persons were not admitted in kindergartens. The research center SKDS created and used an innovative methodological approach to conduct research in extreme conditions. For the survey and conducting anthropometric studies by kindergarten personnel, a visual training material - an educational film - was created.. The following data were obtained: 1. Anthropometric data and information about children born in 2015 attending kindergartens. The number of surveyed children is 3,990. 2. Data of the survey of the employees of the kindergartens. 3. Survey data of children's parents.. The application of the innovative research method gave Latvia, as the only European country, the opportunity to conduct the study under the conditions of COVID 19, clarifying the situation of obesity in children and the risk factors that contribute to it. The research results are the basis for recommendations for health care, education policy makers, as well as parents of children.

Period	29 Mar 2023
Event title	RSU Research week 2023: Society. Health. Welfare
Event type	Conference
Conference number	9
Organiser	Rīga Stradiņš University
Location	Riga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International