Anna S Mueller1, Sarah Diefendorf2, Seth Abrutyn3, Katherine A Beardall4, Krystina Millar4, Lauren O'Reilly5, Hillary Steinberg6, James T Watkins4. 1. Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. Electronic address: Mueller1@iu.edu. 2. Department of Political Science, The University of Utah, Carolyn and Kem Gardner Commons, Salt Lake City, Utah. 3. Department of Sociology, UBC, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 4. Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. 5. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. 6. Department of Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenging policy issue that requires mitigation strategies, such as mask-wearing and social distancing. Whether youth will conform to these strategies is unclear. METHODS: We leverage data on 1,152 youth's mask-wearing and social-distancing behaviors from observations of five in-person live-streamed high school graduations from one U.S. public school district in July 2020. Multiple researchers took ethnographic field notes and systematically recorded public health behaviors for each graduation. We also use data from the local public health department, school district, newspapers, community observations, and the National Center for Education Statistics. We then conducted a descriptive quantitative analysis of mask-wearing status by gender, ethnicity, and school, along with a qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: Nearly 70% of students wore their masks properly while receiving their diploma, although 9.6% wore no mask and 18.7% struggled with mask fit. Almost all students removed masks for graduation photos after adults suggested they should, although 80% of them were wearing their mask properly before the photo. We found significant school variation, but no gender or ethnic variation in student mask-wearing. School variation aligned with political themes of student speeches and in adult commitment to safety measures. Student speakers at all schools mentioned altruistic concern about COVID-19. All schools struggled with social distancing throughout the ceremony, except when students were seated in socially distanced chairs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides important insights into youth conformity to COVID-19 guidelines and strategies to protect public health during in-person schooling.
PURPOSE: Reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenging policy issue that requires mitigation strategies, such as mask-wearing and social distancing. Whether youth will conform to these strategies is unclear. METHODS: We leverage data on 1,152 youth's mask-wearing and social-distancing behaviors from observations of five in-person live-streamed high school graduations from one U.S. public school district in July 2020. Multiple researchers took ethnographic field notes and systematically recorded public health behaviors for each graduation. We also use data from the local public health department, school district, newspapers, community observations, and the National Center for Education Statistics. We then conducted a descriptive quantitative analysis of mask-wearing status by gender, ethnicity, and school, along with a qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: Nearly 70% of students wore their masks properly while receiving their diploma, although 9.6% wore no mask and 18.7% struggled with mask fit. Almost all students removed masks for graduation photos after adults suggested they should, although 80% of them were wearing their mask properly before the photo. We found significant school variation, but no gender or ethnic variation in student mask-wearing. School variation aligned with political themes of student speeches and in adult commitment to safety measures. Student speakers at all schools mentioned altruistic concern about COVID-19. All schools struggled with social distancing throughout the ceremony, except when students were seated in socially distanced chairs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides important insights into youth conformity to COVID-19 guidelines and strategies to protect public health during in-person schooling.
Authors: Radomir Reszke; Marta Szepietowska; Piotr K Krajewski; Łukasz Matusiak; Rafał Białynicki-Birula; Jacek C Szepietowski Journal: Healthcare (Basel) Date: 2021-05-27