Objective: The prevalence of illnesses related to VPDs is higher among older adults and college students experience them despite decades of vaccine availability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American College Health Association (ACHA) emphasizes that all students should provide vaccine proof or receive immunizations prior to…

Background: Burnout, a condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishment, and depersonalization, has been studied in the workplace and among medical professionals; however, it has yet to be extensively studied within Master of Public Health (MPH) students. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the…

COVID-19 has altered students' expectations for attending in-person learning. We qualitatively explored barriers and facilitators of undergraduates for attending in-person courses. A survey, distributed Winter 2022, included items regarding reasons why students did or didn't attend in-person and suggested facilitators to attend. The most reported…

Objective: The current study examined group differences in college students' views on e-cigarettes in terms of safety, popularity, health risks, social acceptability, efficacy as a cessation aid, and promoting combustible cigarette use. Participants: 337 undergraduates (M[subscript age] = 20.84, SD = 3.79; 72.1% female; 68.5% White) divided into…

Social workers can help advance public health through increased acceptability of harm reduction principles and practices. This study evaluated Master of Social Work students' attitudes towards harm reduction before and after a substance use and social work practice course and assessed differences in students' attitude outcomes across multiple…

Ventura, California's 2023 winter storm activity underscored the impact that runoff has on recreational water quality and public health. To examine public perception of stormwater runoff, coastal water quality, and community decision-making toward recreating in polluted water, an online survey of the Ventura River watershed community determined…

Objective: During public health emergencies such as the ongoing COVID-19 illness pandemic, it is essential to rapidly disseminate crisis messages which often contain embedded health directives. This study investigated which of three variants of the same messages (neutral tone, positive/compassionate tone, negative/fear-inducing tone) were most…

Hazardous/harmful drinking among college students is increasingly becoming a global health concern. Previous studies have mostly paid more attention to the prevalence and risk factors of alcohol use disorder based on the public health approach, and less is understood about psychological mechanisms and protective factors of problem drinking…

Objective: To understand student perceptions, interest and intentions of pursuing public health as a result of COVID-19 during educational experiences. Participants: Two hundred seventy-seven students completed the survey representing 38 states and two countries. Methods: An online survey was administered to current undergraduate and graduate…

Objectives: There are essentially three schools of thought regarding critical thinking--humanistic, cognitive, and behavioral. Given the disagreement among them, confusion continues about what critical thinking means, and how it can be taught to students. Methods: In this qualitative phenomenological study, researchers interviewed students and…

We developed an analog board game, "BioRacer" to further student learning in the field of public health biology and assessed its impact on learning by conducting a mixed method study. The purpose was to ascertain whether and how gaming could be a valuable learning experience for students in a lower year level undergraduate course in…

On June 24, 2022, the United States (U.S.) Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which has provided federal protection for safe and legal abortion access and care for 49 years in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. This decision gave states the power to enact some of the most restrictive abortion policies, resulting in 14…

Background: Academic success and retention remain priorities on college campuses. Excessive cell phone use, test anxiety, and poor sleep habits are all associated with negative academic performance. Objective: To assess college students' perceptions of a health communication campaign designed to improve study habits and wellness behaviors during…

Background: For college students who are exposed to multimedia, the sources of COVID-19 vaccine information and their trust in these sources may play a role in shaping the vaccine acceptance spectrum (refusal, hesitancy, and acceptance). Methods: Based on an online survey among 1,062 college students in South Carolina, we investigated vaccine…

In this paper, we critically evaluate the use of a weekly "rapid responses (RR) to learning" process in the context of teaching a graduate course on research methods over a three-year period. The RR process involved use of a short set of open-ended questions about key moments in learning that students complete, in writing, during the…