Objective. We describe our Fall 2020 study of college students' COVID-19 related behaviors, attitudes, and antibody test results. Participants. The study included 1,446 randomly selected and self-enrolled undergraduate and graduate students from a midwestern university. Methods. An online survey was distributed to a sample of students, between September and December 2020. A sub-group also participated in a SARS-CoV-2 antibody blood draw. Results. Nearly half of students reported a prior COVID-19 test with 22% indicating a positive test, which represents an 11% positivity rate across all student participants. Of those who participated in antibody testing, 15.1% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Seventy-seven percent of participants said they would get vaccinated. One-third of students reported moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder and 13% reported moderate to severe depression. Conclusions. This study informed campus decisions in Fall 2020. The importance of effective public health messaging on campus should continue in the future. Keywords: behavior; COVID-19; immunology; students; transdisciplinary research
The MU Study of Seropositivity and Risk for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: Crucial Behavioral and Immunological Data from Midwestern College Students