Factors influencing CDC- recommended preventative behaviors through the COVID-19 pandemic in college students.
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2024:1-9. [PMID:
38683887 DOI:
10.1080/07448481.2024.2346340]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Objective: To understand how student perceptions of physical health and generalized concern about infection influenced engagement in COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Participants: 418 full-time undergraduate and graduate students attending a public university in South Carolina, USA. Methods: A self-administered survey was distributed during the 2020-2021 academic year. The health belief model, structural equation modeling, and regression methods were used to evaluate associations between students' perceived physical health and the use of CDC-recommended mitigation strategies. Results: Our findings suggest that an individual's perception of their own physical health impacted engagement in preventive behaviors by influencing concerns about disease severity (p = 0.01) and susceptibility (p = 0.03). However, perceived physical health was not associated with perceived benefits (p = 0.21), barriers (p = 0.57), or self-efficacy (p = 0.62) of mitigation strategies. Conclusions: Intrapersonal factors may play a strong role in the way a student undertakes disease control and prevention.
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