A Safe Return to Campus in Times of COVID-19: A Survey Study among University Personnel to Inform Decision Makers
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Procedure and Participants
2.2. Measurements
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Demographics
3.2. Beliefs of University Personnel about a Safe Return to Campus
3.3. Negative and Positive Attitude Beliefs about Returning to Campus in September
3.4. Trust and Worries about Returning to Campus in September
3.5. Preventive Measures Related to Returning to Campus in September
3.6. COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake and Beliefs
4. Discussion
4.1. Translating the Findings into a Brief Intervention
4.2. Limitations and Strengths of the Study
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Age | Participants | UM | Full Time? | Participants | UM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
16–25 | 3.8% | 5.1% | Yes | 63.6% | 60.0% |
26–35 | 25.9% | 34.1% | No | 36.4% | 40.0% |
36–45 | 25.8% | 23.8% | |||
46–55 | 23.2% | 18.6% | |||
56–65 | 20.2% | 17.7% | |||
>65 | 1.3% | 0.8% | |||
Gender | Work in | ||||
Female | 62.2% | 56.6% | A faculty | 74.3% | 80.3% |
Male | 35.2% | 43.4% | A service center | 22.3% | 14.3% |
Other | 0.3% | Other | 3.4% | 5.3% | |
I do not want to answer | 2.3% | ||||
Working at UM for | Being a member of a high-risk group | ||||
<2 years | 15% | 22.9% | Yes | 14.4% | |
2–5 years | 21.9% | 29.1% | No | 78.4% | |
6–10 years | 13.9% | 12.8% | I do not know | 7.3% | |
>10 years | 49.2% | 53.3% | |||
Function | |||||
Teaching and research | 45.9% | 56.7% | |||
Academic support, policy and management | 50.6% | 43.3% | |||
Other | 3.6% |
Fully Disagree (1)–Fully Agree (7) | Total Group M (SD) (N = 1965) | Total Group r (N = 1965) | F | Unsafe (1–3) M (N = 472) | Neutral (4) M (N = 349) | Safe (5–7) M (N = 1144) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attitude: negative beliefs | ||||||
Starting again in September full-on is too fast. | 3.54 (1.97) | −0.62 ** | 429.39 ** | 5.23 a | 4.10 b | 2.68 c |
Starting again in September full-on requires a transition period. | 4.96 (1.96) | −0.54 ** | 342.42 ** | 6.25 a | 5.70 b | 4.20 c |
Starting again in September full-on is too risky. | 3.45 (1.80) | −0.73 ** | 646.86 ** | 5.25 a | 4.05 b | 2.52 c |
Starting again in September full-on means that I have to protect myself against others. | 4.21 (1.97) | −0.61 ** | 484.67 ** | 5.88 a | 4.77 b | 3.36 c |
I am afraid there will be too many adjustments for me when we return on campus in September. | 3.81 (2.01) | −0.46 ** | 198.03 ** | 4.96 a | 4.51 b | 3.12 c |
Attitude: positive beliefs | ||||||
Returning to normal in September is certainly possible. | 4.03 (1.89) | 0.66 ** | 522.50 ** | 2.40 a | 3.36 b | 4.91 c |
I am happy that I can start working at the office again. | 5.12 (1.71) | 0.61 ** | 380.81 ** | 3.71 a | 4.56 b | 5.88 c |
I am happy that I can see my colleagues in real life again. | 5.87 (1.40) | 0.49 ** | 175.36 ** | 4.93 a | 5.58 b | 6.35 c |
I am happy that I have contact with students in real life again. † | 5.45 (1.63) | 0.54 ** | 166.82 ** | 4.24 a | 5.23 b | 6.08 c |
I think I can deal with being back in the office again. | 5.37 (1.60) | 0.65 ** | 421.42 ** | 3.90 a | 4.92 b | 6.11 c |
Trust | ||||||
I trust that UM will be a safe place in terms of people sticking to the prevention rules. | 4.78 (1.76) | 0.65 ** | 437.35 ** | 3.09 a | 4.47 b | 5.57 c |
I trust that UM will be a safe place in terms of facilities (ventilation, disinfectants). | 5.20 (1.67) | 0.60 ** | 310.95 ** | 3.70 a | 5.00 b | 5.88 c |
Worries | ||||||
I am worried about students and staff returning from high-risk countries. | 4.81 (1.87) | −0.52 ** | 271.90 ** | 6.04 a | 5.39 b | 4.13 c |
I am worried about how to deal with vaccine deniers/refusers. | 4.72 (1.96) | −0.37 ** | 110.36 ** | 5.62 a | 5.16 b | 4.21 c |
I am worried about meeting in large groups. | 4.88 (1.89) | −0.59 ** | 429.95 ** | 6.30 a | 5.63 b | 4.07 c |
I am worried about my roommate(s) not being as careful as I am. †† | 3.48 (2.09) | −0.53 ** | 192.85 ** | 4.99 a | 4.01 b | 2.73c |
I think that there is too much pressure on us to be “on-site” all the time. | 4.16 (2.11) | −0.59 ** | 390.37 ** | 5.81 a | 4.81 b | 3.29 c |
The situation with COVID-19 has improved, but I still worry about being infected. | 4.28 (1.96) | −0.62 ** | 478.92 ** | 5.85 a | 5.11 b | 3.38 c |
Facilities | ||||||
I am sure that the ventilation at work is good enough to prevent becoming infected. | 3.45 (1.71) | 0.49 ** | 238.68 ** | 2.32 a | 3.07 b | 4.03 c |
The rules about ventilation in our buildings are not clear. | 4.53 (1.71) | −0.32** | 80.31 ** | 5.28 a | 4.73b | 4.16c |
Preventive measures: Entrance testing proof | ||||||
I think that asking people to show entrance testing proof, or to do a test, is not feasible at all–very feasible | 3.43 (1.99) | −0.007 | 0.02 | 3.42 a | 3.45 a | 3.43 a |
I think that asking people to show entrance testing proof, or to do a test, is not useful at all–very useful | 4.26 (1.94) | −0.16 ** | 15.14 ** | 4.65 a | 4.40 a | 4.07 b |
Safety guidelines | ||||||
In my view, the “keeping 1.5m distance” guideline should still be implemented in September, for safety. | 4.98 (1.82) | −0.52 ** | 302.37 ** | 6.22 a | 5.52 b | 4.31 c |
In my view, the “wearing a face mask” guideline should still be implemented in September, for safety. | 4.35 (2.05) | −0.50 ** | 233.87 ** | 5.73 a | 4.80 b | 3.65 c |
Dealing with health complaints | ||||||
People who are sniffling or coughing should stay at home and not visit the campus. | 5.95 (1.45) | −0.29 ** | 79.07 ** | 6.50 a | 6.12 b | 5.67 c |
People who are sniffling or coughing on campus should be sent home. | 5.52 (1.71) | −0.33 ** | 101.41 ** | 6.26 a | 5.76 b | 5.14 c |
UM should provide clear guidelines about how we should deal with students who have health complaints. | 6.17 (1.12) | −0.24 ** | 54.12 ** | 6.54 a | 6.31 b | 5.98 c |
Fully Disagree (1)–Fully Agree (7) | Total Group M (SD) (N = 1965) | F | Yes M (N = 1860, 94.7%) | Do Not Know M (N = 66, 3.4%) | No M (N = 39, 2.0%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Risk perception: Without vaccination, I might be at risk of contracting COVID-19. | 5.94 (1.48) | 90.75 * | 6.08 a | 3.73 b | 3.15 b |
Attitude: Being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the only way out of this epidemic. | 5.91 (1.51) | 295.39 * | 6.11 a | 2.77 b | 1.82 c |
Attitude: Being vaccinated against COVID-19 gives a feeling of safety. | 5.84 (1.44) | 240.30 * | 6.02 a | 3.03 b | 1.79 c |
Attitude: Being vaccinated against COVID-19 leads to fewer negative consequences when you might be infected. | 6.18 (1.22) | 104.70 * | 6.31 a | 4.23 b | 3.00 c |
Attitude: Being vaccinated against COVID-19 makes it 100% safe. | 3.09 (1.78) | 68.48 * | 3.17 a | 2.02 b | 1.44 c |
Attitude: Being vaccinated against COVID-19 will lead to people keeping less distance from others. | 5.78 (1.20) | 5.14 * | 5.81 a | 5.45 ab | 4.82 b |
Attitude: Vaccination is a personal and private choice; we cannot force people to take it. | 5.02 (2.03) | 125.43 * | 4.92 a | 6.68 b | 6.72 b |
Attitude: We do not know how long the effect of vaccination against COVID-19 will last. | 6.10 (1.14) | 15.13 * | 6.08 a | 6.62 b | 6.46 ab |
Attitude: UM should give more information about vaccination to international personnel and students. | 5.04 (1.59) | 12.77 * | 5.08 a | 4.41 b | 3.82 b |
Attitude: I am worried about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. | 2.93 (1.80) | 436.67 * | 2.75 a | 5.83 b | 6.51 c |
Attitude: I am worried about possible long-term negative side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. | 3.12 (1.90) | 668.35 * | 2.93 a | 6.20 b | 6.67 c |
Attitude: The COVID-19 vaccine will be likely effective against new mutations of the virus. | 4.14 (1.33) | 48.62 * | 4.21 a | 3.21 b | 2.36 c |
Attitude: I trust the government about ensuring the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. | 5.10 (1.58) | 102.74 * | 5.23 a | 3.12 b | 2.26 c |
Attitude: By getting the COVID-19 vaccine, I can safely have more social contacts. | 5.36 (1.37) | 135.64 * | 5.49 a | 3.48 b | 2.15 c |
Attitude: I think that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is my moral duty. | 5.73 (1.72) | 273.23 * | 5.93 a | 2.20 b | 2.03 b |
Attitude: I would feel guilty if I transmitted the coronavirus because I had decided to not get the vaccine. | 6.14 (1.48) | 147.51 * | 6.32 a | 3.09 b | 2.54 b |
Social norm: Most people like me will get the COVID-19 vaccination. | 6.03 (1.28) | 192.60 * | 6.20 a | 3.41 b | 2.33 c |
Social norm: Most people who are important to me, want me to get the COVID-19 vaccination. | 5.80 (1.59) | 138.68 * | 5.95 a | 3.21 b | 2.69 b |
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Varol, T.; Schneider, F.; Mesters, I.; Ruiter, R.A.C.; Kok, G.; Ten Hoor, G.A. A Safe Return to Campus in Times of COVID-19: A Survey Study among University Personnel to Inform Decision Makers. Vaccines 2022, 10, 371. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10030371
Varol T, Schneider F, Mesters I, Ruiter RAC, Kok G, Ten Hoor GA. A Safe Return to Campus in Times of COVID-19: A Survey Study among University Personnel to Inform Decision Makers. Vaccines. 2022; 10(3):371. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10030371
Chicago/Turabian StyleVarol, Tugce, Francine Schneider, Ilse Mesters, Robert A. C. Ruiter, Gerjo Kok, and Gill A. Ten Hoor. 2022. "A Safe Return to Campus in Times of COVID-19: A Survey Study among University Personnel to Inform Decision Makers" Vaccines 10, no. 3: 371. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10030371