Indonesian COVID‐19 lesson: A mixed‐methods study on adolescent health status and health services during pandemic.

Topic: The COVID‐19 pandemic affected adolescents' physical and psychological health. There must be specific services to cater to the needs of adolescents during COVID‐19 in Indonesia. Lessons learned from previous pandemics will be beneficial for nurses and other health professionals to prepare services for future pandemics. Purpose: This mixed‐method study aimed to examine 459 Indonesian adolescents' health, literacy, preventive measures, and preferred health services during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study also examines sociodemographics, respondent characteristics, health information sources, and media choices. Results: A total of 47.5% of adolescents knew about COVID‐19, 26.8% experienced physical health changes, and 61.7% considered wearing masks. Adolescent health information came from teachers (26.6%) and the Internet (32.9%). Psychological changes showed 67.8% irritation. Indonesians preferred online counseling (53.8%) and WhatsApp (45.8%) for pandemic health services. COVID‐19 literacy did not affect physical or mental health (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Most adolescents reported mental and physical health changes during COVID‐19. Our data suggest that adolescents' strong COVID−19 knowledge did not prevent anxiety and other psychological difficulties. The longitudinal studies could be utilized if pandemic demands social and physical distance. The government, as well as nurses, might utilize WhatsApp‐based remote online treatment for health services. Key points: Adolescents experienced physical and psychological changes during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Irritability is the most common change. There was no correlation between COVID‐19 literacy and physical and psychological wellness.Adolescents preferred online counseling and WhatsApp counseling as part of health services during the COVID‐19 pandemic.If there is a recurrence of a pandemic that necessitates social distancing, akin to COVID‐19, the government should contemplate including remote online counseling through WhatsApp as a component of their healthcare services delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]