Health communication needs for COVID-19 prevention and control among college students
Publication Date
1-3-2023
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of American College Health
DOI
10.1080/07448481.2022.2155060
Abstract
Objectives: During the early COVID-19 pandemic, college students had to switch to an online learning and online communication environment facing the chances of information overload, misinformation or conflicting information about COVID-19. This study aims to assess the communication needs that have arisen among college students to shed light on the development of a health communication campaign tailored toward college students. Methods: A series of 10 focus group discussions were conducted with 38 total participants. Each group has 2-6 undergraduate or graduate student participants. Nvivo was used to analyze the transcripts. Results: The students reported that they received conflicting information or misinformation. They requested messages with language that was easy to understand with infographics while being culturally appropriate. They advocated for regular and concise email updates from campus leadership. Most participants also preferred COVID-19 control and prevention information on social media. Conclusion: This study revealed the current status and the needs for health information about COVID-19 prevention and control among college students.
Keywords
Channel, college students, COVID-19, message, receiver, sender
Department
Public Health and Recreation
Recommended Citation
Ni Zhang, Hsin Yi Tseng, Jasmine Thai, Pranuthi Pagidipati, Chulwoo Park, Nikita Madan, and Huda Assaf. "Health communication needs for COVID-19 prevention and control among college students" Journal of American College Health (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2155060
