Mitigate the effects of home confinement on children during the COVID-19 outbreak

www.thelancet.com Published online March 3, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30547-X 1 Submissions should be made via our electronic submission system at http://ees.elsevier.com/ thelancet/ to innovative courses for a better learning experience, promotional videos can be useful to motivate children to have a healthy lifestyle at home by increasing physical activities, having a balanced diet, regular sleep pattern, and good personal hygiene. To make these educational materials truly effective, they must be ageappropriate and attractive. They require professional expertise and real resources to create. Communities can serve as valuable resources in managing difficulties of family matters. For instance, parents’ committees can work together to bridge the needs of students with school requirements and to advocate for children’s rights to a healthy lifestyle. Psychologists can provide online services to cope with mental health issues caused by domestic conflicts, tension with parents, and anxiety from becoming infected. Social workers can play an active role in helping parents cope with family issues arising from the situation, when needed. Such a social safety net could be particularly useful for disadvantaged or single-parent families, but action is needed to make it accessible to them. Schools have a critical role, not only in delivering educational materials to children, but in offering an opportunity for students to interact with teachers and obtain psychological counselling. Schools can actively promote a health-conscious schedule, good personal hygiene, encourage Mitigate the effects of home confinement on children during the COVID-19 outbreak