Abstract:
In March 2020, the New Zealand Government introduced
a four-level COVID-19 alert system, with each level
considering the immediate level of risk and outlining
the required restrictions that legally had to be followed
to minimise the risk of catching and/or spreading
COVID-19. As the levels increased, restrictions increased
on population movement, travel, and gatherings. The
alert levels were Level 1 (Prepare); Level 2 (Reduce);
Level 3 (Restrict); and Level 4 (Lockdown).
This policy brief draws on findings from a bespoke online
COVID-19 Wellbeing Survey delivered early in the first
nationwide lockdown in May 2020 when the country
was at COVID-19 Alert Levels 2 and 3 and completed
by 2,421 children aged 10-11 years participating in
the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study.
The survey provided the opportunity to: 1) determine
the children’s experiences during Alert Levels 2 - 4,
including their health and mental wellbeing, schooling,
connectedness, media use, and nutrition; and 2)
ascertain the level of engagement by the cohort in a
bespoke online digital data collection process. This
report focusses on the health and mental wellbeing
outcomes from the survey and compares the findings to
when the children were approximately eight years of age.
