Article Title

IS DAYCARE A SAFE PLACE FOR KIDS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC? OPINION OF THE LEBANESE MIDDLE TO LOW ECONOMIC STATUS MOTHERS

Authors

Souraya Domiati, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, PharmD coordinator, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonFollow
Abir Wehbeh, Pharmacist, UNRWA Health Department, Beirut, LebanonFollow

English Title

IS DAYCARE A SAFE PLACE FOR KIDS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC? OPINION OF THE LEBANESE MIDDLE TO LOW ECONOMIC STATUS MOTHERS

Keywords

Daycare; COVID-19; Mother; Children; Transmission, Hope

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the whole society including mothers who struggled between paid work, housework, and full-time childcare. Daycare used to relieve part of this burden. Accordingly, the current study aimed to assess the mothers’ acceptability of sending their children to daycare and the factors that influenced the decision.

Subject and Method: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out through phone calls in November 2020. Lebanese mothers of children from 0 to 3 years were invited to participate in the study. The questionnaire included demographic data, perception of the ways of COVID-19 transmission, Snyder’s Hope Scale, and acceptability of mothers to send their children to daycare. Data was analysed using SPSS-version 20. Results were considered significant at p-value ≤0.05 with a confidence interval of 95%.

Results: Results showed a good knowledge of the way of transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, food and drinks as well as pets were retrieved as a source of transmission in 66.2 and 3.1%, respectively. Mothers average hope reflects their neutrality in agreeing in quarantining and even their disagreement. Accordingly, 62% of the mothers agreed on sending their kids to daycare to overcome their confronted barriers; mainly to go to work.

Conclusion: All the results reflect the high burden of raising children without institutional support as well as financial one which the mothers are exposed to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, daycare must reopen their doors, with special precautions, to relieve the burden on mothers. Moreover, the government must support daycare institutions economically to be affordable to a larger sample of low to middle-income families.

Recommended Citation

Domiati, Souraya and Wehbeh, Abir (2021) "IS DAYCARE A SAFE PLACE FOR KIDS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC? OPINION OF THE LEBANESE MIDDLE TO LOW ECONOMIC STATUS MOTHERS," BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing: Vol. 3: Iss. 3, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54729/2789-8288.1140