Objective: To determine attitudes, behaviors, and intentions of university students regarding influenza vaccination. Participants: Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students enrolled at a private, midwestern university. Methods: A 24-item electronic survey was designed and distributed after literature review and inputs from experts on…

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified Human Papillomavirus (HPV) as the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, with approximately 24 million Americans currently infected. In 2018, men, ages 15-59, had higher HPV infection rates and HPV high-risk type infections compared to…

Background: Because previous studies on adolescent COVID-19 attitudes focused on intent to get vaccinated, this study examined attitudinal factors and racial/ethnic differences associated with vaccine uptake. Methods: In a cross-sectional survey of a metropolitan high school district, students were asked about their COVID-19 attitudes, information…

Objective: Understand student concerns with returning to in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic using an e-learning module. Participants: 925 undergraduate and graduate students returning to in-person instruction in Fall 2021. Methods: Five modules educated students about COVID and the transition to in-person learning and collected…

Since 2007, the Cowen Institute has conducted annual polls on perceptions of public education in New Orleans. These polls have served to provide insight on how parents, guardians, and the general public feel about the most relevant issues related to New Orleans' highly decentralized K-12 public education system. In previous editions of the poll,…

Personal health & wellbeing are rated more highly in those with higher educational qualifications than those without, and good health & wellbeing are likely to impact upon student attendance and hence attainment at university. It is important to understand factors which may affect perceived health and wellbeing from a student perspective…

Access to school health clinics and nurses has been linked with improved student achievement and health. Unfortunately, no studies have examined how many students report using school clinics or nurses and for which services. This study addressed this gap with data from a nationally representative sample of 15- to 25-year-olds. Respondents who…

Objective: The goals of the present study are (1) to identify sociodemographic and psychosocial predictors of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related stigma and (2) to examine the relationship between HPV-related stigma in predicting HPV vaccine decision-making among college males. Participants: Six hundred and eighty college males aged 18--26 from 3…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the HPV vaccination for boys and girls starting at age 11, yet adoption rates are low. We use eight focus groups to explore the decision making process, experiences, and social influences, including media and sex education classes, shaping attitudes of male and female college…

Assessments of knowledge and perceptions about influenza were developed for high school students, and used to determine how knowledge, perceptions, and demographic variables relate to students taking precautions and their odds of getting sick. Assessments were piloted with 205 students and validated using the Rasch model. Data were then collected…