Abstract
The paper reports on how the changes necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic changed students’ health behaviors and mental health at a university in the southern United States. Our research project collected data during the two years prior to the pandemic and will continue during Fall semester 2020 and Spring semester 2021. Among the data collected is information on living arrangements; eating, sleep, working and physical activity habits; time spent watching/reading on a TV/computer and playing video/computer games; socializing outside the home (going out); vaping, alcohol and drug consumption. Prior to Covid-19, four out of ten students in our study responded with ‘yes’ to the question ‘During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?. One in seven responding students indicated that they had seriously considered committing suicide over the last 12 months; forty students actually planned the act and seven attempted suicide. The data from Fall 2020/Spring 2021 will show how much students’ mental health was affected by having to live with the restrictions and dangers of Covid-19.
Presenters
Peter ReuterAssociate Professor, Marieb College of Health and Human Services, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Covid-19, Student health behavior, Mental health
