TY - JOUR T1 - Symptom patterns and life with post-acute COVID-19 in children aged 8–17 years: a mixed-methods study protocol JF - BJGP Open JO - BJGP Open DO - 10.3399/BJGPO.2022.0149 SP - BJGPO.2022.0149 AU - Alice Faux-Nightingale AU - Claire Burton AU - Helen Twohig AU - Milica Blagojevic-Bucknall AU - Will Carroll AU - Carolyn A Chew-Graham AU - Kate Dunn AU - Francis Gilchrist AU - Toby Helliwell AU - Oliver Lawton AU - Sarah Lawton AU - Christian Mallen AU - Benjamin Saunders AU - Danielle van der Windt AU - Victoria Welsh Y1 - 2023/04/05 UR - http://bjgpopen.org/content/early/2023/03/31/BJGPO.2022.0149.abstract N2 - Background While there is a substantial body of knowledge about acute COVID-19, less is known about long-COVID, where symptoms continue beyond 4 weeks.Aim To describe longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection in children and young people (CYP) and identify their needs in relation to long-COVID.Design & setting This study comprises an observational prospective cohort study and a linked qualitative study, identifying participants aged 8–17 years in the West Midlands of England.Method CYP will be invited to complete online questionnaires to monitor incidences and symptoms of COVID-19 over a 12-month period. CYP who have experienced long-term effects of COVID will be invited to interview, and those currently experiencing symptoms will be asked to document their experiences in a diary. Professionals who work with CYP will be invited to explore the impact of long-COVID on the wider experiences of CYP, in a focus group. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe the incidence and rates of resolution of symptoms, and comparisons will be made between exposed and non-exposed groups. Logistic regression models will be used to estimate associations between candidate predictors and the development of long-COVID, and linear regression will be used to estimate associations between candidate predictors. Qualitative data will be analysed thematically using the constant comparison method.Conclusion This study will describe features and symptoms of long-COVID and explore the impact of long-COVID within the lives of CYP and their families, to provide better understanding of long-COVID and inform clinical practice. ER -