https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2023.10837
Young Latina college students’ perspectives on mask-wearing post lifting of mask mandates
Submitted: 3 September 2022
Accepted: 23 February 2023
Published: 27 April 2023
Accepted: 23 February 2023
Abstract Views: 1274
PDF: 305
Supplementary Materials: 34
Supplementary Materials: 34
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Confusion, miscommunication, and debate regarding the benefits of wearing masks, social distancing, and stay-at-home orders ensued for much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without a consistent message from the government, doubt regarding masks’ effectiveness in preventing the spread of COVID-19 became common and led to an anti-masking effort and resistance to COVID-19 protocols. This qualitative study used thematic analysis to understand experiences of young Latina college students during the pandemic and how these experiences contributed to their decisions to continue following COVID-19 protocols after the lifting of relevant restrictions. Twenty-two Latina college students were interviewed, and interview transcripts were analyzed to identify themes. Four themes emerged: i) disinformation and mistrust, ii) economic impacts, iii) emotional impacts, and iv) maintaining health. Thematic analysis of in-depth interviews allowed for a deeper understanding of health-seeking behaviors of Latina college students. Inconsistent messaging from public health officials during the pandemic contributed to confusion and resistance to the various mandates among participants—the majority of whom, as of this writing (June 2022), have chosen to continue to wear masks and follow other protocols despite public health and university officials lifting mask mandates.
AJMC Staff. A Timeline of COVID-19 Developments in 2020. (2021). American Journal of Managed Care, 1.
Alberti, P. M., Lantz, P. M., & Wilkins, C. H. (2020). Equitable pandemic preparedness and rapid response: Lessons from COVID-19 for pandemic health equity. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 45(6), 921-935.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-8641469
Allan, B. A., Garriott, P. O., & Keene, C. N. (2016). Outcomes of social class and classism in first-and continuing-generation college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(4), 487.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000160
Armstrong, K., Ravenell, K. L., McMurphy, S., & Putt, M. (2007). Racial/ethnic differences in physician distrust in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 97(7), 1283-1289. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2005.080762
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.080762
Bailey, Z. D., & Moon, J. R. (2020). Racism and the political economy of COVID-19: Will we continue to resurrect the past? Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 45(6), 937-950. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-8641481
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-8641481
Bankrate. (2022). Cost of living comparison calculator. https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator/
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis. Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3–26.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000196
California All. (2022). Masks. Retrieved April 22 from https://covid19.ca.gov/masks-and-ppe/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnNyUBhCZARIsAI9AYlGybxH7caXEvdU40p-PZwKGVqVkijBEcnXci8aqhkvLVKytx1HVknkaAtswEALw_wcB
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022a). How to protect yourself and others. Retrieved June 2 from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022b). Trends in demographic characteristics of people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States. Retrieved June 13 from https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographics-trends
Clobes, T. A., & Alonge, H. C. (2021). Instructional support for first-generation Hispanic students during the COVID-19 pandemic. HETS Online Journal, 12(1), 1b-1b.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55420/2693.9193.v12.n1.42
Contreras, G. W. (2020). Getting ready for the next pandemic COVID-19: Why we need to be more prepared and less scared. Journal of Emergency Management, 18(2), 87-89.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2020.0461
Covarrubias, R., Valle, I., Laiduc, G., & Azmitia, M. (2019). “You never become fully independent”: Family roles and independence in first-generation college students. Journal of Adolescent Research, 34(4), 381-410.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558418788402
Davidson College. (2020). The college crisis initiative. . https://collegecrisis.shinyapps.io/dashboard/
Davis, R. E., Sharma, M., Simon, K. E., & Wilkerson, A. H. (2021). Conceptualization of college students’ COVID-19 related mask-wearing behaviors using the Multi-Theory Model of health behavior change. Health Promotion Perspectives, 11(2), 194.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2021.24
Fairlie, R. (2020). The impact of COVID‐19 on small business owners: Evidence from the first three months after widespread social‐distancing restrictions. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 29(4), 727-740.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jems.12400
Gamoran, A., Turley, R. N. L., Turner, A., & Fish, R. (2012). Differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic families in social capital and child development: First-year findings from an experimental study. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 30(1), 97-112.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2011.08.001
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturdation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59-82.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903
Harrington, N., Chen, Y., O'Reilly, A. M., & Fang, C. Y. (2021). The role of trust in HPV vaccine uptake among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States: a narrative review. AIMS Public Health, 8(2), 352.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2021027
Hong, Y. R., Tauscher, J., & Cardel, M. (2018). Distrust in health care and cultural factors are associated with uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Hispanic and Asian Americans. Cancer, 124(2), 335-345.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.31052
Howard, J., Huang, A., Li, Z., Tufekci, Z., Zdimal, V., van der Westhuizen, H.-M., von Delft, A., Price, A., Fridman, L., & Tang, L.-H. (2021). An evidence review of face masks against COVID-19. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(4), e2014564118.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014564118
Jacobs, E., Mendenhall, E., Scheck-McAlearney, A., Rolle, I., Whitaker, E., Warnecke, R., & Ferrans, C. (2011). An exploratory study of how trust in health care institutions varies across African American, Hispanic and white populations. Communication and Medicine, 8(1), 89-98.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/cam.v8i1.89
Jankowicz, M. (2020). Fauci said US government held off promoting face masks because it knew shortages were so bad that even doctors couldn’t get enough. Business Insider. Available from: https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-mask-advice-was-because-doctors-shortages-from-the-start-2020-6?r=US&IR=T
Jingnan, H., Aubrey, A., & Wroth, C. (2020). Should we all be wearing masks in public? Health experts revisit the question. NPR. https://www. npr. org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/31/824560471/should-we-all-be-wearing-masks-in-public-health-experts-revisit-the-question.
Kantamneni, N. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on marginalized populations in the United States: A research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 119, 103439.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103439
Kriss, J. L., Hung, M.-C., Srivastav, A., Black, C. L., Lindley, M. C., Lee, J. T., Koppaka, R., Tsai, Y., Lu, P.-J., & Yankey, D. (2022). COVID-19 vaccination coverage, by race and ethnicity—National immunization survey adult COVID module, United States, December 2020–November 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 71(23), 757.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7123a2
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1990). Judging the quality of case study reports. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 3(1), 53-59.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839900030105
Mares, T. (2020). What a stay-at-home order means for migrant dairy workers. Agriculture and Human Values, 37(3), 585-586.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10068-y
Mouslim, M. C., Johnson, R. M., & Dean, L. T. (2020). Healthcare system distrust and the breast cancer continuum of care. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 180(1), 33-44.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-020-05538-0
National Conference of State Legislators. (2020). Higher education responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19). Retrieved June 16 from https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/higher-education-responses-to-coronavirus-covid-19.aspx#:~:text=The%20Coronavirus%20Aid%2C%20Relief%2C%20and%20Economic%20Security%20Act%20(CARES,to%20respond%20to%20the%20coronavirus
Oberlander, J. (2020). Introduction to “COVID-19: Politics, inequalities, and pandemic”. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 45(6), 905-906.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-8641445
Passel, J. S., Lopez, M. H., Cohn, D. (2022). U.S. Hispanic population continued its geographic spread in the 2010s. Pew Research Center. Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/u-s-hispanic-population-continued-its-geographic-spread-in-the-2010s/
Quandt, S. A., LaMonto, N. J., Mora, D. C., Talton, J. W., Laurienti, P. J., & Arcury, T. A. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic among Latinx farmworker and nonfarmworker families in North Carolina: knowledge, risk perceptions, and preventive behaviors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5786.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165786
Romer, D., & Jamieson, K. (2020). Conspiracy theories as barriers to controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the US Soc Sci Med. 2020; 263: 113356. Social Science & Medicine, 263, 113356.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113356
The California State University (2021). California State University to implement COVID-19 vaccination requirement for Fall 2021 term. Retrieved June 4 from https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/news/Pages/California-State-University-to-Implement-COVID-19-Vaccination-Requirement-for-Fall-2021-Term.aspx
The plight of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2020). Lancet, 395(10237), 1587.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31200-9
Utych, S. M. (2021). Messaging mask wearing during the COVID-19 crisis: Ideological differences. Journal of Experimental Political Science, 8(2), 91-101.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/XPS.2020.15
WHO. (2020). Listings of WHO’s response to COVID-19. Retrieved June 8 from https://www.who.int/news/item/29-06-2020-covidtimeline
Yan, H. (2020). Want to prevent another shutdown, save 33,000 lives and protect yourself? Wear a face mask, doctors say. CNN. Retrieved June 8 from https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/25/health/face-mask-guidance-covid-19/index.html
How to Cite
Clobes, Thomas A., and Heather Craig Alonge. 2023. “Young Latina College students’ Perspectives on Mask-Wearing Post Lifting of Mask Mandates”. Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare 7 (1). https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2023.10837.
Copyright (c) 2023 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.