Dataset Information

Selection of determinants of students' adherence to COVID-19 guidelines and translation into a brief intervention.

ABSTRACT:

Background

When reopening universities in times of COVID-19, students still have to adhere to COVID-19 behavioral guidelines. We explored what behavioral determinants (and underlying beliefs) related to the adherence to guidelines are both relevant and changeable, as input for future interventions.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted (Oct-Nov 2020), identifying behavioral determinants (and underlying beliefs) of university students' adherence to COVID-19-guidelines, including keeping 1.5 m distance, getting tested, and isolating (N = 255).

Results

Attitude, perceived norm, self-efficacy, and several beliefs (e.g., risk perception beliefs 'I am not afraid because I am young' [r = -0.33; p < .001]; attitudinal beliefs, e.g., 'I feel responsible for telling people to adhere to guidelines' [r = 0.37; p < .001]; self-efficacy beliefs, e.g., 'COVID-19-prevention guidelines are difficult to adhere to' [r = -0.30; p < .001]) were associated with intention to adhere to guidelines, and for those beliefs there was room for improvement, making them suitable as possible intervention targets.

Conclusions

Students mostly adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, but there is room for improvement. Interventions need to enhance students' adherence behavior by targeting the most relevant determinants as identified in this study. Based on these findings, a small intervention was introduced targeting the determinants of students' adherence to guidelines.

SUBMITTER: Varol T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8367745 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background & aimsCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are at high risk of malnutrition, and their doctors are part of a multidisciplinary team, including nutritionists. However, adherence to nutritional guidelines may be difficult in the context of capacity constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate barriers to doctors' adherence to nutritional guidelines and the impacts of guideline adherence on the outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.MethodsA multinational electronic survey involving 51 doctors was conducted between November 2020 and January 2021 from 17 COVID-19-designated hospitals in countries with high (Indonesia) and low (Vietnam) numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases.ResultsIn general, doctors reported concerns related to nutritional practices in patients with Covid-19 which included feeling stress when performing medical nutritional therapy (65%), lacking self-efficacy or confidence in performing nutritional care (49%), lacking clear nutritional guidelines (45%), and experiencing budget limitations (33%). A regression analysis adjusted for age, country, and the number of hospitalized COVID-19 cases revealed that guideline knowledge (β: -1.01 (-1.78, -0.23); p = 0.012) and awareness of guidelines (β: -1.37 (-2.66, -0.09); p = 0.037) were negatively correlated with the length of stay of critically ill COVID-19 patients, but non-significant after adjusting for specialization of the doctor. When stratified according to country, a significant relationship between guideline adherence and length of stay of critically ill patients was only found in Vietnam [guideline adherence: β: -0.55 (-1.08, -0.03); p = 0.038; guideline knowledge: β: -1.01 (-1.9, -0.13); p = 0.027] after adjusting for age, specialty, and number of hospitalized COVID-19 cases. In Indonesia, the significant relationship between guideline adherence and mortality of COVID-19 patients remained strong (β: -14 (-27, -1); p = 0.033) after adjusting for age, specialty, and number of hospitalized COVID-19 cases CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate nutritional knowledge is a key barrier to guideline adherence, and this was international and may be related to doctors' specialties and the COVID-19 pandemic. Adherence to nutritional guidelines may represent a prognostic factor for survival in COVID-19 patients.