Student-Designed Cross-Sectional Pandemic Knowledge Survey of 8th−12th Grade Students, Milwaukee, WI, April 2020

Abstract

Background: The novel coronavirus and its effect on our society are unprecedented. Given the recent pandemic, numerous measures have been taken to protect our communities. We sought to understand our school community's knowledge and the measures that were taken by our school for our safety.Objective: Our objective was to describe the overall understanding and attitudes of 8–12th grade students from a single institution during the initial phase of the Wisconsin's Governor's stay-at-home order.Methods: A voluntary web-based survey was communicated to 8–12th grade students through their online school portal. Data were collected and analyzed using SurveyMonkey.Results: There was a 20.2% response rate. Answers regarding the coronavirus, spread, and response to the coronavirus pandemic showed a high level of understanding of the virus and the actions necessary to prevent its spread.Conclusion: Eight-twelfth grade students have a high level of understanding of the virus, its effects, and the safety measures implemented to protect society.

Knowledge of Teenagers and Young Adults about COVID-19 and Compliance with Social Distancing Guidelines

“…Consistent with previous studies, our participants reported obtaining COVID-19 information from various sources, including social media and family. 23 – 25 , 32 – 34 Interestingly, the least frequently reported source of COVID-19 information in this study were teachers, which was similar to other studies. 23 , 24 Researchers have expressed concern about the impact of the pandemic on stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness among students.…”

“… 23 – 25 , 32 – 34 Interestingly, the least frequently reported source of COVID-19 information in this study were teachers, which was similar to other studies. 23 , 24 Researchers have expressed concern about the impact of the pandemic on stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness among students. 35 The uncertainty and misunderstanding of our participants regarding social distancing rules is important as young individuals may be avoiding safe activities with a positive impact on their mood and well-being, such as touching pets or walking outside alone.…”

“…Similar to other studies among teens and young adults, [23][24][25] we found high awareness of COVID-19, but also identified important knowledge gaps about COVID-19 and preventive measures among study participants. For example, although 100% of participants correctly cited social distancing as an effective protective measure, they were not all able to identify activities that would be safe, such as taking classes online instead of going to school, calling friends on the telephone, and going on a walk alone.…”

“…We received 35 complete survey responses between May 2020 and March 2021. The mean age of the participants was 16.94 (standard deviation 2.57, range [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. The majority of participants were female (85.71%), White (60%), and reported residing in Florida (88.57%) (Table 2).…”

“…Other studies suggest that many teens and young adults are participating in recommended preventive behaviors 23 – 25 and that youth motivated by the desire to protect others are more likely to engage in social distancing. 30 , 31 Similarly, 94% of our respondents reported practicing social distancing, mainly to keep oneself, family members, and others safe.…”