Enhancing the School Infection Study using electronic health data
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Enhancing The Utilisation Of COVID-19 Testing In Schools Studies: The Joint Analysis Of The COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS) And The COVID-19 Mapping And Mitigation In Schools (CoMMinS) Study
IRAS ID
313140
Contact name
Rachel Denholm
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
"Long-COVID" in children and young people (CYP) is at present poorly understood. It may be difficult for doctors to distinguish it from other conditions. We need to understand whether "long-COVID" is a new condition in itself, or a group of conditions we already know about. For these reasons, it is likely to have been under-diagnosed to some extent to date, although it is still unclear what exactly "long-COVID" in CYP means. Looking more widely at symptoms, and incorporating other data such as health service utilisation and diagnoses, would give a more complete picture of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected CYP's long-term health.
This study aims to investigate the health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection in CYP using two school surveys: the Schools Infection Survey (SIS) in England, and the Bristol-based COVID-19 Mapping and Mitigation in Schools (CoMMinS) study. We will use research data on reported symptoms and school absences, and information on clinical diagnoses, prescriptions, and health service utilisation, obtained from linking data from the surveys to electronic health records (EHRs).
This research will help quantify the burden of short- and long-term adverse health outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in CYP and the link between them. It will help determine the risk factors for developing disease, such as age, gender, ethnicity and the nature of the SARS-CoV-2 infection itself. By understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children we are better placed to support CYP and target resources appropriately, e.g., to mental health services, to chronic fatigue clinics, or to cardiac care. It also informs policy decisions around testing and vaccinating CYP, and measures such as school closures.
The study is part of the Data and Connectivity National Core Study, led by Health Data Research UK in partnership with the Office for National Statistics and funded by UK Research and Innovation.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EE/0220
Date of REC Opinion
18 Oct 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion