Parents’ Perceptions of Schools’ COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies: A Phenomenological Study

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Sch Health
• Personal Author:
  Dinh, Janny ; Edwards, Lorece V. ; Calderon, Gabriela ; Klein, Lauren M. ; Wang, June ; Marrero, Natalie ; Johnson, Sara B. ; Hager, Erin R.
• Description:
  BACKGROUND ; At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed across the U.S. Given the impact of virtual learning and lost access to school resources, schools eventually reopened with COVID-19 mitigation protocols in place. This qualitative study sought to understand parental perceptions of school-based COVID-19 mitigation strategies. ; METHODS ; Using a phenomenology approach, nine focus groups were completed with 40 parents of children in grades K-8 representing eight Maryland counties. Based on acceptance of masking policies (as indicated on a survey), parents were sorted into two groups – lower and higher masking acceptance. A thematic analysis was conducted for each group and themes were compared between the two groups. ; RESULTS ; The main themes were related to parents’ general sentiments regarding COVID-19, compliance, pandemic-related changes over time, changes in personal opinions, and in-person learning. Both groups described challenges related to inconsistent COVID-19 mitigation policies and practices, the challenges of rapid and frequent changes in guidelines during the pandemic, and the benefits of in-person learning. ; IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY ; Study findings may help to inform future efforts to implement public health messaging and strategies through schools. ; CONCLUSIONS ; Parents of elementary and middle school children, regardless of general acceptance of masking policies, shared concerns about implementation and guidance regarding school-based mitigation strategies.
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • COVID-19
  • Parents
  • Child
  • Female
  • Focus Groups
  • Male
  • Schools
  • Qualitative Research
  • Maryland
  More +
• Keywords:
  • School health
  • parents
  • COVID-19
  • mitigation strategies
  • health policy
  • health communication
• Source:
  J Sch Health. 94(9):791-799
• Pubmed ID:
  38936963
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11323178
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)/ ; OT2 HD108110/HD/NICHD NIH HHSUnited States/ ; CD/ODCDC CDC HHSUnited States/ ; #OT2HD108110/RADx-UP Return to School Diagnostic Testing Approaches/ ; NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; CD/ODCDC CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  94
• Issue:
  9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/159849/cdc_159849_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 332.72 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:42fbadb183a20796ec3e3648ae9cdf7ed49c70e4bc8e1f34b81683d7bb4c0429514bcec3d8a22dd9a5e17de7a2b668348c8a8106a013d508135118fa61ea23f7