Coping with Covid19: Young people's health and wellbeing

"The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has brought unprecedented disruption to the lives of populations across the globe, including in Australia. Interruptions to study disproportionately affect young people aged 15-29 years. Similarly, the closure of non-essential businesses in the hospitality and retail sector has meant significant job losses among a workforce of disproportionately young people on casual contracts with few job protections. Although young people are underrepresented in morbidity and mortality directly related to COVID-19, there are compelling reasons to believe that they will bear a large burden of the societal costs of the pandemic and related responses. It is therefore essential that we try to understand how COVID-19 has impacted on their lives, their health and behaviours. We commenced a mixed methods study of young people's health and wellbeing in March 2020. The project involves ongoing data collection to July 2021. The study collects data on young people's health and risk behaviours, mental health, and social health. The student project will involve implementing the final round of online survey data collection and analysis and interpretation of data to help understand the impact of the pandemic on young people's health and wellbeing.