Social pediatrics internship students’ perspectives on the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on children

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CELIK M., Kiracı B. E., YALÇIN S. S.

Türkiye Çocuk Hastalıkları Dergisi, cilt.20, sa.2, ss.129-138, 2026 (TRDizin)

Özet

Objective: Social pediatrics evaluates children’s health within the context of society, environment, education, and family, employing a global, holistic, and multidisciplinary approach to child health. Our study aimed to explore the viewpoints and attitudes of fifth-year medical students who completed the Social Pediatrics Internship Education Program regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children. Material and Methods: We asked medical students to write about the most common effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children from their perspective using a Google Form. Subsequently, we employed both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to analyze the responses provided by the medical students. Results: Overall, 246 students voluntarily participated in the study and wrote a total of 1722 items. The medical students predominantly addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various facets of children’s well-being, including development, physical activity, community/social dynamics, physical health, mental health, safety, healthcare access and provision, and infectious diseases. Conclusion: This study highlights the ability of medical students who undertook the Social Pediatrics programme to demonstrate empathy and adopt a social pediatrics perspective when examining the impact of COVID-19 on children.