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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is reporting that 45 per cent of Jamaican households have experienced food shortages due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This was even more prominent in female-headed households and households with two or more children. This forced one in every two households to eat smaller meals or fewer meals per day. Also, almost two out of every 10 households locally did not have enough recommended items for prevention, cleaning and disinfecting, making it impossible for them to follow health protocols and safeguard themselves from the virus. Alarmingly, these households include children, who are considered the most vulnerable.

"In any emergency, children are always the most vulnerable, but often we don't have enough evidence to show the full extent to which they are affected," said Mariko Kagoshima, UNICEF's Jamaica representative. "It was critical for UNICEF to conduct this study so that we could examine various ways children are impacted and how the country can respond to better protect them." This unpreparedness spills over from the fact that 46 per cent of income was lost among Jamaicans, with significantly greater loss for households in the lower socioeconomic bracket.

Reduction in income

Approximately 80 per cent suffered a reduction in income. Most households coped with this loss by using savings and accepting gifts and remittances from overseas.

In addition, one in every two households reported only having enough income or savings to sustain them for two or less weeks.

In agreeing with Kagoshima, Dr Damien King, executive director at the Caribbean Policy Research Institute, said that while the pandemic has had detrimental effects on many groups, "surely the most damaging and long-lasting is the effect it is having on children".

"It is important that we try to understand both the nature and scale of these effects to be appropriately guided in our policy responses," he said.

The UNICEF study also highlights the negative impact of home schooling. The levels of engagement in distance learning during school closure or remote teaching varied by age group, with children in the pre/basic school age group having the lowest engagement (75 per cent), followed by high school aged students (83 per cent) and then primary/preparatory (90 per cent)," the study read. The lack of facilities was credited as the main reason for children at the pre and basic school and primary level for not engaging in distance learning.

At the secondary educational level, the main reason was students being without a suitable device and lacking access to the Internet.

As it relates to emotional health, most households reported an increase in children's level of boredom and overeating. Other emotions that were elevated included frustration, clinginess, anxiety and fear.