As many colleges and universities are moving to suspend in-person courses, you might be asking ‘What are college students doing to avoid getting and spreading COVID-19?’
To better understand how COVID-19 has impacted the substance use, mental health, and overall well-being of Missouri college students, Partners in Prevention created the 2020 Students’ Well-being Survey. Implemented at 13 campuses in the state, students were asked to reflect on their health behaviors both this fall and during the spring (March to May) when normal campus operations were disrupted.
Two important documents on the survey data are available on our website about the health and safety of students during the pandemic. The first, ‘At a Glance: Missouri College Students and COVID-19’ illustrates health behaviors and experiences specifically related to COVID-19.
In regards to COVID-19 prevention, many students report practicing safety behaviors. Most students are very often or always wearing masks, monitoring symptoms, washing hands, observing social distance, and limiting contact with others.
Additionally, more students report always wearing a face mask or covering if the area where their campus is located has an active mask ordinance.
Finally, almost three quarters (73%) of students agree or strongly agree that they know where to go find up-to-date information about campus policies, but only a little over half (52%) agree or strongly agree that they are confident in their campus administrations’ COVID-19 prevention efforts.
Partners in Prevention will continue to monitor students’ safety behaviors to prevent transmission of COVID-19. For more information about our 2020 Students’ Well-being Survey, find our fact sheet on the survey at the link below.
December 1, 2020. By Margo Leitschuh, Communications Coordinator for Missouri Partners in Prevention.