Abstract
Background
The purposes of this study were to (1) longitudinally examine US college and university COVID-19 dashboard content and (2) explore county-level population health and COVID-19 community indicators where colleges with large undergraduate enrollments were located.
Methods
We identified 10 colleges with the largest undergraduate enrollments. Next, we located all public and private two- and four-year nonprofit colleges (n = 58) in each respective county. We assessed active COVID-19 dashboards using established criteria from We Rate COVID Dashboards in March 2021 and February 2022.
Results
In 2021 and 2022, two-thirds (n = 38/58) of colleges had an active COVID-19 dashboard. While most COVID-19 dashboards were easy to read, they were less likely to include updated daily infection rates and testing frequency details.
Conclusion
Overall quality, content, and features of COVID-19 dashboards varied greatly across colleges. Future COVID-19 dashboard designs should focus on providing evidence-based information with the goal of promoting and supporting informed decision making.
Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States.