Mask Adherence to Mask Mandate: College Campus Versus the Surrounding Community

Authors' Affiliations

Alex Condra, MD/MPH Candidate, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN Taylor Coston, MPH Candidate and College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN Monika Jain, MD/MPH Candidate, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN Seth Manning, MPH Candidate, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN Amy Wahlquist, MS, Center for Rural Health Research, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN Samuel Pettyjohn, DrPH, MPH, Center for Rural Health Research, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN

Location

Culp Center Ballroom

Start Date

4-25-2023 9:00 AM

End Date

4-25-2023 11:00 AM

Poster Number

98

Faculty Sponsor’s Department

Other - please list

Center for Rural Health Research

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Samuel Pettyjohn

Classification of First Author

Medical Student

Competition Type

Competitive

Type

Poster Presentation

Project's Category

Healthcare and Medicine, Viral Infections, Communicable Diseases

Abstract or Artist's Statement

Adherence to masking recommendations and requirements continues to have a wide variety of impacts in terms of viral spread during the ongoing pandemic. As governments, schools, and private sector businesses formulate decisions around mask requirements, it is important to observe real-life adherence to policies and discern subsequent implications. The CDC MASCUP! observational study tracked mask-wearing habits of students on higher-education campuses across the country to collect stratified data about mask typologies, correct mask usage, and differences in behaviors at locations on a college campus and in the surrounding community. Our findings from a single institution include a significant adherence difference between on-campus (86%) and off-campus sites (72%) across the course of this study as well as a notable change in adherence at the on-campus sites with the expiration of a county-wide governmental mandate, despite continuance of a university-wide mandate. This study, completed on and around the campus of East Tennessee State University in Washington County TN, was able to pivotally extract information regarding increased adherence on campus versus the surrounding community. Changes were also seen when mask mandates were implemented and when they expired.

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Apr 25th, 9:00 AM Apr 25th, 11:00 AM

Mask Adherence to Mask Mandate: College Campus Versus the Surrounding Community

Culp Center Ballroom

Adherence to masking recommendations and requirements continues to have a wide variety of impacts in terms of viral spread during the ongoing pandemic. As governments, schools, and private sector businesses formulate decisions around mask requirements, it is important to observe real-life adherence to policies and discern subsequent implications. The CDC MASCUP! observational study tracked mask-wearing habits of students on higher-education campuses across the country to collect stratified data about mask typologies, correct mask usage, and differences in behaviors at locations on a college campus and in the surrounding community. Our findings from a single institution include a significant adherence difference between on-campus (86%) and off-campus sites (72%) across the course of this study as well as a notable change in adherence at the on-campus sites with the expiration of a county-wide governmental mandate, despite continuance of a university-wide mandate. This study, completed on and around the campus of East Tennessee State University in Washington County TN, was able to pivotally extract information regarding increased adherence on campus versus the surrounding community. Changes were also seen when mask mandates were implemented and when they expired.