ERIC Number: EJ1426565
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
Predictive Value of Clinical Symptoms for COVID-19 Diagnosis in Young Adults
Deborah Kunkel; Mackenzie Stuenkel; Laksika B. Sivaraj; Christopher C. Colenda; Lesslie Pekarek; Lior Rennert
Journal of American College Health, v72 n4 p1006-1009 2024
Assessment of predictive values of clinical symptoms for COVID-19 diagnosis in young adults. Participants: Nonresidential university students (ages 18-25) participating in surveillance testing and mandatory symptom survey between 9/9/2020 and 11/25/2020. Methods: Retrospective study of test results and symptom survey data. Results: Among 6,489 individuals, 288 (4.4%) tested positive for COVID-19, 90 (31.3%) of whom reported symptoms. COVID-19 prevalence among individuals reporting and not reporting symptoms was 17.2% and 3.3%, respectively. The four symptoms with highest positive predictive values (PPVs) were smell/taste loss (PPV = 38.5%), chills (PPV = 31.5%), muscle/joint pain (PPV = 26.0%), and fever (PPV = 25.9%). Conclusions: Institutions should emphasize COVID-19 risk for highly predictive symptoms in public health messaging to inform individuals on when to seek testing or self-isolation. However, low COVID-19 diagnostic accuracy of clinical symptoms and the high pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic rate (69%) highlight the limitations of voluntary testing strategies employed by higher education institutions during the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.
Descriptors: College Students, Out of State Students, COVID-19, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Disease Control, Public Health, Predictor Variables, Disease Incidence, Pandemics
Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A