Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a pilot sample of women enrolled in the SEMILLA birth cohort study

作者：Alexis J. Handal, Fadya Orozco, Stephanie Montenegro, Alexa Kort · 发表于：ISEE Conference Abstracts · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1289/isee.2022.p-1177 · 研究领域：COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction、Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations

Background and Aim Project SEMILLA, a community-engaged epidemiological cohort study, assesses environmental, occupational, and social factors among pregnant women in a major flower-growing region of Ecuador and the impact of these factors on child growth and development. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge to the implementation of the SEMILLA study. This paper presents the results of a pilot qualitative study with SEMILLA participants examining the impact of the pandemic on their lives. Methods SEMILLA follows pregnant women and their infants up to 18 months of age. Methods include obtaining prenatal urine samples, maternal and neonatal blood samples to assess thyroid hormone levels, and data on working conditions, environmental exposures (home/work), stress, social support, maternal health, socioeconomic factors, and infant neurodevelopment, growth and nutritional status. During the initial months of the pandemic, SEMILLA researchers observed important impacts of the pandemic in the study region and with enrolled participants. In April 2020, we conducted phone interviews with currently enrolled participants (n=11), to assess the experiences of the participants during this time. Semi-structured questions addressed concerns and worries as well as changes in activities (work/home) due to the pandemic. Results Emergent themes from qualitative analysis include economic insecurity and job loss, food insecurity and food access issues, strained relationsh...