Peer public health ambassadors and COVID-19 mitigating behaviors at a public university

Abstract

Objective To examine how public health policy was reinforced by peer workers who were called Public Health Ambassadors (PHAs) at a West Coast university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Descriptions of PHA community interactions were collected. Analyses were conducted using data from the 12-weeks of the 2020 Fall Quarter. Results In total, there were 5,112 interactions of which there were three types: (1) educational (4%), (2) noncompliance (90%), and (3) thanking (6%). About 1.3% of interactions were met with resistance. Conclusions Overall, compliance with campus public health guidance was high. Trends suggest compliance fatigue may have occurred after the first four weeks as evidenced by increased noncompliance rates and test positivity rates. Policy Implications These results suggest the feasibility of the implementing US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations of using trusted messengers to reinforce critical behaviors to support community health.