Gemini COVID-19 study: Immediate and longer-term impacts on the health, behaviour and wellbeing of U.K. families

COVID-19大流行对英国家庭的影响远远超出了病毒本身对健康的破坏性影响。增加的家庭压力，包括收入损失、过度禁闭、社会隔离以及对健康和教育的焦虑，加剧了家庭内部的压力和动荡。儿童是社会上最脆弱的群体之一。家庭环境的变化是前所未有的，家庭现在几乎把所有的时间都花在了家庭环境上。儿童越来越依赖数字设备，身体活动的机会大大减少，家庭食品环境受到供应和可及性中断的影响。收集有关COVID-19大流行对家庭环境的影响以及对儿童身心健康的影响的信息是当务之急。双子座研究是一项具有全国代表性的双胞胎出生队列研究，在过去的13年里，该研究一直在收集双胞胎及其家庭的详细信息。双子座提供了一个独特的机会，因为在英国之前的五个月这项名为“禁闭”的研究收集了关于家中食物、身体活动和媒体环境的详细信息，以及健康行为和心理健康的指标。这些及时、全面的基线数据可以与2019冠状病毒病危机期间及其余波期间收集的广泛信息相结合，从而能够快速描述大流行对家庭环境和儿童健康的影响。从这项研究中获得的直接见解将为如何最好地应对当前的大流行提供循证指导，以减轻对家庭的负面影响，同时制定政策，以便在未来出现感染浪潮时促进儿童健康和福祉。

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.K. families goes far beyond the devastating health implications of the virus itself. Added family stresses, including income loss, excessive confinement, social isolation and anxieties about health and education heighten pressure and volatility within the home. Children are among the most vulnerable in society. Changes to the home environment, where families are now spending virtually all of their time, are unprecedented. Children are increasingly reliant on digital devices, opportunities for physical activity have greatly diminished and the home-food environment has been impacted by disruptions to availability and accessibility. Collecting information on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the home environment, and the consequences for children's physical and mental health is an immediate priority. The Gemini study is an established nationally representative twin birth cohort which has been collecting detailed information about the twins and their families for the past 13 years. Gemini offers a unique opportunity because in the five months prior to U.K. 'lockdown', the study collected detailed information on the food, physical activity and media environments within the home, along with measures of health behaviours and psychological wellbeing. This timely and comprehensive baseline data can be combined with extensive information collected during the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath, enabling rapid characterisation of the impact of the pandemic on the family environment and child health. The immediate insights gained from this study will inform evidence-based guidance for how best to respond to the current pandemic to mitigate negative impacts for families, while simultaneously shaping policies to promote child health and wellbeing should future waves of infection emerge.