Health Impact Perceived by University Students at Three Sites in Asia : Two Years Into the Pandemic

Two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, education in universities is still being disrupted. Prolonged exposure to the pandemic situation may result in health-related problems for university students. In January 2022, we conducted an online survey in three universities in Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam for a rapid assessment of students’ perceived impacts on their health conditions. In total, 159 students from the three sites responded. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. A third of the respondents reported that their health condition was impacted, while female students perceived more impact on health than males (p<0.001). Over half of the respondents reported experiencing some stress, while students living in the dormitory had a higher tendency to perceive stress (p<0.05). Moreover, students in higher grades tended to have higher perceived stress (p<0.01) and higher perceived worry (p<0.001). There were also significant differences in the level of perceived health impact, stress, and worry for the future among the students from the three sites, probably due to the characteristics of respondents in each site. These findings imply the need to address not only the quality of education but also to improve health support services for students on the campus.

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