The influence of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among students attending a minority-serving institution in the U.S.

The goal of this research was to examine the effects of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among students attending a minority-serving institution (MSI). Students [ 580,  = 27.7 ± 9.1 years] from a midsized university in the U.S. Cross-sectional survey, distributed between February-March 2021, assessing visits with a healthcare professional before and during the pandemic. Comparison by time and between groups using McNemar's test and ordinal logistic regression. In-person medical care decreased during the pandemic ( = 0.096). Higher frequency of doctor visits pre-pandemic resulted in less contact with students' healthcare providers during the pandemic ( < 0.001). Those that indicated their health status as Excellent were mostly likely to visit their healthcare provider in-person during the pandemic ( = 0.026). Virtual contacts with their healthcare provider increased during the pandemic ( < 0.001). The COVID-19 pandemic has changed health seeking behaviors among students attending an MSI.