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The lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on people’s time use. This article analyses the changes in time spent on household tasks and parenting by men and women during the lockdowns of the spring and autumn of 2020 in France, by social category, education, working arrangements and family configurations, using data from the major longitudinal EpiCov survey. The time spent on housework was high in the spring of 2020 and caring for children was particularly time consuming. This additional domestic and parental burden affected both women and men, but women continued to perform the majority of the housework, in spite of the similar working conditions between the sexes during this period. During the first lockdown, women at the top of the social hierarchy, who generally perform fewer household chores, spent far more time than usual on these tasks, thereby temporarily reducing social differences.

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic is characterized by successive waves that each developed differently over time and through space. We aim to provide an in-depth analysis of the evolution of COVID-19 mortality during 2020 and 2021 in a selection of countries. Methods We focus on five European countries and the United States. Using standardised and age-specific mortality rates, we address variations in COVID-19 mortality within and between countries, as well as demographic characteristics and seasonality patterns. Results Our results highlight periods of acceleration and deceleration in the pace of COVID-19 mortality, with substantial differences across countries. Periods of stabilization were identified during summer (especially in 2020) among the European countries analysed, but not in the United States. The latter stands out as the study population with the highest COVID-19 mortality at young ages. In general, COVID-19 mortality is highest at old ages, particularly during winter. Compared to women, men have higher COVID-19 mortality rates at most ages and in most seasons. Conclusions There is seasonality in COVID-19 mortality for both sexes at all ages, characterized by higher rates during winter. In 2021, the highest COVID-19 mortality rates continued to be observed at ages 75+, despite vaccinations having specifically targeted those ages.

Background The world has witnessed a colossal death toll due to the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). A few environmental epidemiology studies have identified association of environmental factors (air pollution, greenness, temperature, etc.) with COVID-19 incidence and mortality, particularly in developed countries. India, being one of the most severely affected countries by the pandemic, still has a dearth of research exploring the linkages of environment and COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives We evaluate whether district-level greenness exposure is associated with a reduced risk of COVID-19 deaths in India. Methods We used average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from January to March 2019, derived by Oceansat-2 satellite, to represent district-level greenness exposure. COVID-19 death counts were obtained through May 1, 2021 (around the peak of the second wave) from an open portal: covid19india.org. We used hierarchical generalized negative binomial regressions to check the associations of greenness with COVID-19 death counts. Analyses were adjusted for air pollution (PM2.5), temperature, rainfall, population density, proportion of older adults (50 years and above), sex ratio over age 50, proportions of rural population, household overcrowding, materially deprived households, health facilities, and secondary school education. Results Our analyses found a significant association between greenness and reduced risk of COVID-19 deaths. Compared to the districts with the lowest NDVI (quintile 1), districts within quintiles 3, 4, and 5 have respectively, around 32% [MRR = 0.68 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.88)], 39% [MRR = 0.61 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.80)], and 47% [MRR = 0.53 (95% CI: 0.40, 0.71)] reduced risk of COVID-19 deaths. The association remains consistent for analyses restricted to districts with a rather good overall death registration (>80%). Conclusion Though cause-of-death statistics are limited, we confirm that exposure to greenness was associated with reduced district-level COVID-19 deaths in India. However, material deprivation and air pollution modify this association.

This article investigates the effect of a decrease in the speed limit for motor vehicles on bicycle commuting in French cities. I use a difference-in-differences event study design to measure a possible causal effect of motor vehicle speed limits on changes in bicycle traffic. I do not find any effect of the reduction of the speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h on bicycle commuting. This result is important for public policy design, since increasing the number of bicycles is one of the benefits that politicians expect from decreasing the speed limit for motor vehicles.

Background Immigrants in Western countries have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Objective: We analysed excess mortality rates among the foreign-born population and changes in their distinctive mortality profiles (“migrant mortality advantage”) during the first pandemic wave in France. Data and methods Deaths from all causes in metropolitan France from 16 March to May 17, 2020 were used, with information on sex, age, region of residence and country of birth. Similar data from 2016 through 2019 were used for comparisons. Results During the pre-pandemic period (2016–2019), immigrant populations (except those from Central and Eastern Europe) had lower standardized mortality rates than the native-born population, with a particularly large advantage for immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. In the regions most affected by COVID-19 (Grand-Est and Île-de-France), the differences in excess mortality by country of birth were large, especially in the working-age groups (40–69 years), with rates 8 to 9 times higher for immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, 3 to 4 times higher for immigrants from the Americas and 3 times higher for immigrants from Asia relative to the native-born population. The relative overall mortality risk for men born in sub-Saharan Africa compared to native-born men, which was 0.8 before the pandemic, shifted to 1.8 during the first wave (0.9 and 1.5 for women). It also shifted from 0.8 to 1.1 for men from North Africa (0.9–1.1 for women), 0.7 to 1.0 for men from the Americas (0.9–1.3 for women), and 0.7 to 1.2 for men from Asia and Oceania (0.9–1.3 for women). Conclusion Our findings shed light on the disproportionate impact of the first wave of the pandemic on the mortality of populations born outside Europe, with a considerable burden of excess mortality within the working-age range, and a complete reversal of their mortality advantage.

Emerging research suggests that the prevalence of child and adolescent mental health problems has increased considerably during the COVID-19 crisis. However, there have been few longitudinal studies on children’s mental health issues according to their social determinants in this context, especially in Europe. Our aim was to investigate the association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and children' mental health during the period of school closure due to COVID-19. Longitudinal data came from 4575 children aged 8–9 years old in 2020 and participating in the ELFE population-based birth cohort that focuses on children’s health, development and socialization. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) when children were (a) 5 years of age and (b) 9 years of age, which corresponded to the period of school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France. We retrieved data from the ELFE cohort collected on children from birth to age 5 years (birth, 1 year, 2 years, 3,5 years and 5 years). Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured based on information obtained when the child was 5 years old. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression models. Children’s elevated levels of symptoms of Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the period of school closure were significantly associated with prior low family SES (aOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.08–1.48). Children’s elevated symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention and of emotional symptoms were associated with decline in income during the COVID crisis (respectively, aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.16–1.63 and aOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.01–1.51). Moreover, when testing interactions, a low prior SES was significantly associated with a higher risk of emotional symptoms aOR 1.54 (1.07–2.21), only for children whose families experienced a decline in income, while gender, parental separation and prior mental health difficulties were not associated. This study underlines the impact of the financial crisis related to the COVID-19 epidemic on children’s mental health. Both pre-existing family SES before lockdown and more proximal financial difficulties during the COVID crisis were negatively associated with children’s psychological difficulties during the period of school closure. The pandemic appears to exacerbate mental health problems in deprived children whose families suffer from financial difficulties.

International audience; The sixteenth issue of Arabian Humanities concludes our special focus on Omani history and society. Our journal is proud to have gathered, over two issues, an impressive and diverse set of authors thanks to the fabulous commitment of three researchers: Marion Breteau, Sterenn Le Maguer and Maho Sebiane who have for long been partners of the Centre français de recherche de la Péninsule Arabique (CEFREPA). While the project had been launched before the Covid-19 pandemic and the end of the five-decade long reign of Sultan Qaboos, it is clear that many of the contributions have been impacted by these two historic events, if only through access to the field in Oman or by providing chronological milestones.In the Sultanate like elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula, issues linked to travel have become an important matter for foreign researchers. The closure of airports due to the pandemic, the health procedures (however legitimate), and even certain specific costs have complicated our collective capacity to have access to the societies that we study. They have limited the possibility to carry out excavations for archaeologists, discover new archives or even interact, more or less formally, with colleagues who work in universities or academic institutions of the Arabian Peninsula and participate in scientific conferences.In that context, the CEFREPA’s very existence is more than ever an asset. As a French research center which has always valued its permanent presence in the Arabian Peninsula for more than four decades (first in Yemen, then in Saudi Arabia and finally in Kuwait, and has been able to establish partnerships to send researchers for long periods of time in the United Arab Emirates and in Oman), it remains a most relevant tool to reinforce local partnerships and establish fruitful observation posts. It is largely through mutual trust and patience, long standing relationships and collaborations with institutions and actors of the societies we work on, and most importantly we work with, that fieldwork makes full sense. The publications of this issue, focusing on Oman or other areas, are yet another testimony of a philosophy and methodology that despite various crises and difficulties, continues to structure our journal.

Contributors; Sinjae Yoo, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Paul Myers, Charlotte Laufkoetter, PatriciaMiloslavich (SCOR), Clement Brousse, Radhey Shyam Goyal, Debdas Ray, Alexander Fekete, Li Li, AnjaScheffers, Timothy Adivilah Balag'kutu, Zhangcai Qin, Montserrat Koloffon Rosas (Future Earth),IMBeR Scientific Steering Committee, Avit Bhowmik (Karlstad University), Bob Webb (AustralianNational University), Magdalena Stoeva (International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences inMedicine (IUPESM), Marcelo Knobel, Roberto Lent (Brazilian Academy of Sciences), Paul ArthurBerkman (UNITAR), Paulo S. R. Diniz, Roberto Schaeffer (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), WFEO:Elizabeth G. King, Amy L. Brooks, Jose Vieira, Gong Ke, Marlene Kanga, William Kelly, K. N. Gunalan.; Position paper of the Scientific and technological community major group position paper for the 2022 high-level political forum Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; The Scientific and Technological Community Major Group, jointly facilitated by the International Science Council and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), submitted a position paper for the upcoming 2022 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), which will be held on 5-15 July. The theme of the HLPF this year is “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Preliminary studies have suggested a link between socio-economic characteristics and COVID-19 mortality. Such studies have been carried out on particular geographies within the USA or selective data that do not represent the complete experience for 2020.We estimated COVID-19 mortality rates, number of years of life lost to SARS-CoV-2 and reduction in life expectancy during each of the three pandemic waves in 2020 for 3144 US counties grouped into five socio-economic status categories, using daily death data from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine and weekly mortality age structure from the Centers for Disease Control.During March–May 2020, COVID-19 mortality was highest in the most socio-economically advantaged quintile of counties and lowest in the two most-disadvantaged quintiles. The pattern reversed during June–August and widened by September–December, such that COVID-19 mortality rates were 2.58 times higher in the bottom than in the top quintile of counties. Differences in the number of years of life lost followed a similar pattern, ultimately resulting in 1.002 (1.000, 1.004) million years in the middle quintile to 1.381 (1.378, 1.384) million years of life lost in the first (most-disadvantaged) quintile during the whole year.Diverging trajectories of COVID-19 mortality among the poor and affluent counties indicated a progressively higher rate of loss of life among socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Accounting for socio-economic disparities when allocating resources to control the spread of the infection and to reinforce local public health infrastructure would reduce inequities in the mortality burden of the disease.

Background The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led many countries to implement lockdown measures, which resulted in changes in dietary behaviours that could persist over the long term and have associated health consequences. Psychological traits may impact these changes given their known association with dietary behaviours. We aimed to investigate in a population-based study, whether positive psychological traits were associated with changes of snacking behaviour and food consumption observed during the first COVID-19 lockdown period. Design In 2016, levels of optimism, resilience, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, mindfulness and mastery were assessed in 33,766 adults of the French NutriNet-Santé cohort. Snacking and food group consumption were assessed in April–May 202. Association between psychological traits and changes (no change, increase, decrease) in snacking and food group consumption were assessed using logistic regressions. Multiple correspondence analysis followed by ascending hierarchical classification were used to derive clusters of dietary behaviours. Covariance analyses were used to compare mean scores of psychological traits between clusters. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, anxiety and depressive symptomatology. Results Participants with higher levels of optimism, resilience, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, mindfulness or mastery were less likely to change their snacking behaviour and food group consumption of various food groups. Individuals with lower levels were more likely to make changes, with either unhealthy (e.g.,less fruits and vegetables, more processed meat) or healthy (e.g., more pasta/rice (whole-grain)) changes. Overall, individuals showed higher levels of positive psychological traits in the “no change” cluster, followed by the “healthy” and the “unhealthy” cluster (all P < 0.05). Conclusions Individuals with higher levels of optimism, resilience, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, mindfulness or mastery were less impacted by the lockdown in terms of dietary behaviours.