The international arm of the Teenagers' Experiences of COVID-19 (TEC-19)

The current COVID-19 pandemic is creating conditions unprecedented in living history including worldwide restrictions on people's movement. Adherence to movement restrictions is likely to profoundly affect young people's sense of well-being, their diets and physical activity levels and their mental health. As a group, adolescents are likely to be affected in specific and long-lasting ways by this disruption to their normal lives. Adolescence is a period for the formation of identity and development of autonomy. It is also when diet and physical activity habits are formed. This moment in global history provides us with a unique opportunity to explore over time the impact of major disruption on young people, their psychological development and health behaviours. The international arm of the Teenagers' Experiences of COVID-19 project expands on the UK TEC-19 study (lead by MB and SS) to include our partners in South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, India and Canada. Focus group discussions with young people are being used to explore how the pandemic is affecting the lives, mental health and well-being, and eating habits and physical activity behaviours of young people living in both rural and urban settings across sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa) and India, and two provinces in Canada.