The influence of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among students attending a minority-serving institution in the U.S

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this research was to examine the effects of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among students attending a minority-serving institution (MSI). Participants: Students [N = 580, M_age (SD) = 27.7 ± 9.1 years] from a midsized university in the U.S. Methods: Cross-sectional survey, distributed between February-March 2021, assessing visits with a healthcare professional before and during the pandemic. Comparison by time and between groups using McNemar’s test and ordinal logistic regression. Results: In-person medical care decreased during the pandemic (p = 0.096). Higher frequency of doctor visits pre-pandemic resulted in less contact with students’ healthcare providers during the pandemic (p < 0.001). Those that indicated their health status as Excellent were mostly likely to visit their healthcare provider in-person during the pandemic (p = 0.026). Virtual contacts with their healthcare provider increased during the pandemic (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed health seeking behaviors among students attending an MSI.

Keywords:

• College students
• COVID-19
• health seeking behavior
• minority-serving institution

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 of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of California State University, San Bernardino.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).