Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Household COVID-19 risk and in-person schooling

Published inScience, vol. 372, no. 6546, p. 1092-1097
Publication date2021-06-04
First online date2021-04-29
Abstract

In-person schooling has proved contentious and difficult to study throughout the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Data from a massive online survey in the United States indicate an increased risk of COVID-19-related outcomes among respondents living with a child attending school in person. School-based mitigation measures are associated with significant reductions in risk, particularly daily symptoms screens, teacher masking, and closure of extracurricular activities. A positive association between in-person schooling and COVID-19 outcomes persists at low levels of mitigation, but when seven or more mitigation measures are reported, a significant relationship is no longer observed. Among teachers, working outside the home was associated with an increase in COVID-19-related outcomes, but this association is similar to that observed in other occupations (e.g., health care or office work). Although in-person schooling is associated with household COVID-19 risk, this risk can likely be controlled with properly implemented school-based mitigation measures.

Keywords
  • Adolescent
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology
  • COVID-19 / prevention & control
  • COVID-19 / transmission
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Communicable Disease Control
  • Family Characteristics
  • Humans
  • Masks
  • Physical Distancing
  • Risk Assessment
  • School Teachers
  • Schools
  • Students
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States / epidemiology
UNIGE research groups
Funding
  • NIAID NIH HHS [K01 AI125086]
  • NIA NIH HHS [T32 AG000247]
Citation (ISO format)
LESSLER, Justin et al. Household COVID-19 risk and in-person schooling. In: Science, 2021, vol. 372, n° 6546, p. 1092–1097. doi: 10.1126/science.abh2939
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh2939
Journal ISSN0036-8075
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