Improving compliance with COVID-19 restrictions among college students

Risky behaviours related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are common among full-time college students, a recent US study has found. Educational interventions and providing incentives to stay at home may help improve adherence to health guidelines.

Researchers conducted a cohort survey including 707 college students in April 2020, during the early phases of the pandemic. Participants were asked to report health behaviours, such as social distancing, mask wearing, and going out to bars or clubs. The survey also included an open-ended question asking how the pandemic has affected their lives. A follow-up survey was conducted in July 2020.

In general, compliance with protective health behaviours decreased from the first survey to the second. Frequent handwashing or alcohol use, for example, dropped from 72.4 percent to 64.5 percent, while adherence to physical distancing protocols decreased from 60.7 percent to 43.4 percent. Meanwhile, coughing or sneezing without covering the mouth increased from 3.2 percent to 14.1 percent.

The only behaviour that broke such trend was the use of face masks in public, which increased from 51.9 percent to 76.1 percent.

In terms of risk behaviours, 532 participants said that they had gone to a bar or club in the last 4 weeks. In particular, 5.3 percent said that they had gone once, 3.4 percent went 2–3 times, and 0.8 percent and 0.9 percent went weekly and multiple times per week, respectively.

Subsequent qualitative analysis showed that boredom, feelings of social isolation, stress, and “taking COVID seriously” were prevailing sentiments among respondents who had gone to bars or clubs.

“It is worrisome that the US has not made more progress to improve compliance with behaviours that can protect individuals and their communities from exposure to and transmission of COVID-19, including among college students,” the researchers said.

“The next wave of public health interventions will likely need to be multipronged, including education campaigns to increase proactivity among individuals who present little to no symptoms for COVID- 19, harm reduction programs, and strategies that remove barriers so that it is possible for people to take necessary precautions,” they added.