ORCID
0009-0002-3074-7140
Abstract
Limited information is available on how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has [JG1] affected adolescents regarding long-term health risks. This quantitative study focused on the effect of U.S. adolescents’ daily diet, race/ethnicity, levels of income, family level of education, access to health care, age, and comorbidities on the risks of long COVID-19 syndrome. I used the constructs of the health belief model to understand the impact of those variables. The online survey results (N = 298) found that adolescents whose daily vegetable consumption was more than daily recommendations (2–3 cups) had a lower odds ratio of having long COVID-19 syndrome (OR = 0.03) when compared to adolescents whose daily vegetable consumption was below daily recommendations (OR = 23.6). Chi-square analysis and bivariate logistic regression found the following predictors of long COVID-19 syndrome for adolescent children: daily consumption level of vegetables, families of lower middle class, not having insurance coverage in the past 12 months, not having money to pay medical bills, not visiting a doctor often for a physical checkup, and not visiting a doctor because of cost. The findings suggest that improving (a) adolescents’ daily consumption of vegetables and (b) families’ access to health care and education may help reduce adolescents’ odds of having long COVID-19 syndrome. Using these findings with the health belief model, public health stakeholders may be able to formulate strategies to improve adolescents’ diet and access to health care, both of which may help to reduce rates of long COVID-19 syndrome.
