AUTHOR=Crepalde Patrícia Aparecida Francelino , Garcia de Avila Marla Andréia , Minharro Michelle Cristine de Oliveira , Castro Meire Cristina Novelli , Teixeira Tatiane Roberta Fernandes , Hamamoto Filho Pedro Tadao , Nilsson Stefan 

TITLE=Assessment of Brazilian children’s anxiety during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic through cross-sectional interviews at schools

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1522105

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2025.1522105

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=IntroductionThis cross-sectional study aimed to assess anxiety prevalence among schoolchildren and associated factors following their return to in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis study was conducted in June 2022 and involved children aged 6–12 years and their parents at four public schools in Brazil. Anxiety levels were assessed using the Children’s Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ; scores of 4–12) and visual analog scale (VAS; scores of 0–10). Of 733 children, 54% were girls (average age, 8.7 ± 1.87 years), and most of the included parents were mothers (84%).ResultsBased on Brazilian CAQ scores of ≥9 and VAS scores of >7, anxiety prevalence was 13.5 and 6.7%, respectively. Using logistic regression, CAQ scores of ≥9 and VAS scores of >7 were associated with the children’s ages. Each additional year of children’s age raised the odds of anxiety (CAQ ≥ 9) by 10%. For the VAS scores, each additional year of children’s age increased the odds of anxiety (VAS > 7) by 30%.DiscussionThese findings showed a lower prevalence than those reported at the beginning and one year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, further emphasizing the need for public health interventions targeting different age groups.