Awareness On Social Distancing During Pandemic Disease Among College Students - A Survey

ABSTRACTBackgroundAs college students in the United States return to university campuses, it is important to understand their beliefs and practices on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention.PurposeTo assess beliefs and practices regarding COVID-19 prevention among college students in the United StatesMethodsAn online, self-administered survey was developed that collected information on COVID-19 preventative practice and beliefs. Survey responses were collected between July 13, 2020 and July 31, 2020.ResultsA total of 4,834 college students participated in the survey with a response rate of 22.9%. Compared to males, more female college students practiced COVID-19 preventative measures, including always wearing masks or face coverings in public (52% vs. 44%, p<0.001) and always or often observing social distancing (70% vs. 63%, p<0.001). In contrast to students from larger population areas, fewer college students from rural areas reported practicing prevention measures, such as always wearing a mask (24% rural v. 45% towns vs. 55% cities, p<0.001) and always social distancing (20% rural vs. 21% towns vs. 29% cities, p<0.001). Additionally, more students from rural areas have become much less worried about personally contracting COVID-19 over the last 3 months when compared to students from towns and cities (21% vs. 16% vs. 11%, p<0.001). Fewer white college students compared to other racial groups thought it was very important to wear masks (55% white vs. 76% Black vs. 82% Asian vs. 63% American Indian or Alaskan native (AIAN) & Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI), p<0.001) and very important to practice social distancing (29% white vs. 50% Black vs. 53% Asian vs. 36% AIAN/NHOPI, p <0.001). Compared to Non-Hispanic students, more Hispanic students thought it was very important to practice preventative measures, including wearing a mask (71% vs. 58%, p<0.001), social distancing (37% vs. 32%, p=0.017), and good hand hygiene (77% vs. 67%, p=0.013).ConclusionCOVID-19 prevention beliefs and practices differ between sexes, the size of town one lives, race, and ethnicity. In general, female students followed Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 prevention guidelines more closely than male students. Students who reside in areas of larger populations have more strict COVID-19 prevention beliefs and practices than students from areas with smaller populations. Asian and Black/African American students adhered closer to CDC COVID-19 prevention guidelines and had stronger beliefs for infection prevention measures than white or AIAN/NHOPI students. Hispanic/Latino students were more stringent in COVID-19 prevention beliefs and practices than non-Hispanic/Latino students.

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Media for Coping During COVID-19 Social Distancing: Stress, Anxiety, and Psychological Well-Being

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577639 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Allison L. Eden ◽

Benjamin K. Johnson ◽

Leonard Reinecke ◽

Sara M. Grady

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Media Use ◽

Full Range ◽

Well Being ◽

Media Consumption ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Social Distancing

In spring 2020, COVID-19 and the ensuing social distancing and stay-at-home orders instigated abrupt changes to employment and educational infrastructure, leading to uncertainty, concern, and stress among United States college students. The media consumption patterns of this and other social groups across the globe were affected, with early evidence suggesting viewers were seeking both pandemic-themed media and reassuring, familiar content. A general increase in media consumption, and increased consumption of specific types of content, may have been due to media use for coping strategies. This paper examines the relationship between the stress and anxiety of university students and their strategic use of media for coping during initial social distancing periods in March-April 2020 using data from a cross-sectional survey. We examine links between specific types of media use with psychological well-being concepts, and examine the moderating roles of traits (hope, optimism, and resilience) as buffers against negative relationships between stress and anxiety and psychological well-being. Our findings indicate that stress was linked to more hedonic and less eudaimonic media use, as well as more avoidant and escapist media-based coping. Anxiety, on the other hand, was linked to more media use in general, specifically more eudaimonic media use and a full range of media-based coping strategies. In turn, escapist media was linked to negative affect, while reframing media and eudaimonic media were linked to positive affect. Avoidant coping was tied to poorer mental health, and humor coping was tied to better mental health. Hedonic and need-satisfying media use were linked to more flourishing. Hope, optimism, and resilience were all predictive of media use, with the latter two traits moderating responses to stress and anxiety. The findings give a nuanced portrait of college students’ media use during a pandemic-induced shutdown, showing that media use is closely intertwined with well-being in both adaptive and maladaptive patterns.

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The Effects of Perceived Threat and Efficacy on College Students’ Social Distancing Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Health Communication ◽

10.1080/10810730.2021.1903628 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Anthony J. Roberto ◽

Xin Zhou ◽

Anya Hommadova Lu

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Perceived Threat ◽

Social Distancing

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409. High Engagement in Social Distancing and Mask Wearing and Associations with Reduced COVID-19 Infection Among California College Students

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofab466.610 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S306-S306

Author(s):

Lindsey Walicek ◽

Annette Regan ◽

Kelly L’Engle ◽

Marie-Claude Couture

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Regression Models ◽

Online Survey ◽

Face Mask ◽

Multiple Logistic Regression ◽

Preventive Behaviors ◽

Lower Odds ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Logistic Regression Models

Abstract Background Engaging in preventive behaviors, including face mask wearing and social distancing, has been widely recommended, and in some cases mandated, to limit the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Despite wide-scale use, there is little data available on engagement of mask wearing and social distancing in college students and associated COVID-19 infection. Methods A school-wide online survey was conducted (2021) among university students (n=2,132) in California. Frequency of mask-wearing and social distancing (indoors or public settings) and diagnosis with COVID-19 infection were measured. Multiple logistic regression models assessed associations between i) mask-wearing and ii) social distancing and COVID-19 infection, controlling for race, age, gender, and living with people who have high-risk health conditions. Results Fourteen percent (14.06%) reported previous COVID-19 infection. Most students reported wearing masks in public settings (77.9%) and indoors (58%). About half (49.9%) reported social distancing in public settings and 44.9% indoors. In multiple logistic regression models, wearing a mask indoors was associated with 30% lower odds of COVID-19 infection (OR= 0.70; 95% CI: 0.54,0.91) but no statistically significant association was observed for wearing a mask outdoors (OR= 0.80; 95% CI: 0.59,1.08). Social distancing indoors and outdoors was associated with a 34% (OR= 0.66; 95% CI: 0.50,0.86) and 32% (OR= 0.68; 95% CI: 0.52,0.88) decrease in the odds of infection, respectively. COVID-19 infection declined as the number of preventive behaviors a student engaged in increased. Compared to those who engaged in no preventive behavior, the odds of infection were 0.71 (95% CI: 0.46,1.11) among students engaging in one behavior, 0.70 (95% CI: 0.46,1.07) in two behaviors, 0.42 (95% CI: 0.25,0.70) in three behaviors, and 0.48 (95% CI: 0.31,0.74) among those who engaged in all four behaviors. Conclusion Wearing face masks and social distancing were both associated with lower odds of COVID-19 infection. The more preventive behaviors students engaged in the less frequently they reported COVID-19 infection. Our findings support existing guidelines promoting mask wearing and social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19 disease. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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Effects of a Virtual Physical Activity Program within the Context of Social Distancing During the Covid-19 Pandemic

International Journal of Physical Education Fitness and Sports ◽

10.34256/ijpefs2115 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 34-44

Author(s):

Keven Santamaria-Guzman ◽

Mynor Rodriguez-Hernandez ◽

Jose Moncada-Jimenez

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

College Students ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Leisure Time ◽

International Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽

Sitting Time ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Activity Program ◽

On Line ◽

Activity Questionnaire

To determine the effects of a virtual physical activity (PA) program in college students during social distancing due to COVID-19. 44 college students, male and female. Methods: Participants completed self-reported measures of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, weekly PA, and a short-survey of the educational experience during social distancing. Participants completed the instruments at baseline and after 10-weeks of an on-line virtual PA program. Increased overall PA (p = 0.040) and transportation PA (p = 0.004), leisure-time PA (p = 0.031) domains increased following the program. The sitting time increased following the intervention (p = 0.0001). Students who failed to comply with at least 150 min/week of PA reduced the frequency of positive emotions compared to those who complied (p = 0.017). Social distancing and daily college tasks seem to lessen the effect of PA on sedentary behavior in college students regardless of an increase in PA.

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Individual and COVID-19-Specific Indicators of Compliance with Mask Use and Social Distancing: The Importance of Norms, Perceived Effectiveness and State Response

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18168715 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (16) ◽

pp. 8715

Author(s):

Jordan Gette ◽

Angela Stevens ◽

Andrew Littlefield ◽

Kerri Hayes ◽

Helene White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Perceived Effectiveness ◽

Protective Behaviors ◽

Safety Behavior ◽

Social Distancing ◽

State Response ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Early Implementation ◽

Response Timing ◽

At Home

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has resulted in widespread negative outcomes. Face masks and social distancing have been used to minimize its spread. Understanding who will engage in protective behaviors is crucial for continued response to the pandemic. We aimed to evaluate factors that are indicative of mask use and social distancing among current and former college students prior to vaccine access. Participants (N = 490; 67% female; 60% White) were current and former U.S. undergraduate college students. Perceived effectiveness and descriptive norms regarding COVID-19 safety measures, COVID-19-related news watching and seeking, state response timing to stay-at-home mandates, impulsivity-like traits, affect (mood), and demographic variables were assessed. Results found that greater perceived effectiveness indicated increased personal compliance within and across behaviors. Greater norms related to compliance within behaviors (e.g., indoor norms related to indoor compliance). Increased perceived stress, anxiety, and negative affect indicated greater compliance. More positive affect was associated with less compliance. Being non-White, compared to White (p < 0.001), and female, compared to male (p < 0.001), were associated with greater compliance. Overall, early implementation of stay-at-home orders, exposure to COVID-19-related news, and increased perceived effectiveness are crucial for health safety behavior compliance. Findings are important for informing response to health crises, including COVID-19.

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