Date
1-14-2026
Department
School of Health Sciences
Degree
Master of Science in Public Health in Epidemiology (MSPH)
Chair
Oswald Attin
Keywords
College healthcare services, students, Health belief model, Attitudes, Health seeking behavior, Healthcare utilization
Disciplines
Public Health
Recommended Citation
Pandagade, Catherine, "The Impact of Awareness of Campus Health Services on Utilization of Medical Care Among Residential Students at Liberty University" (2026). Masters Theses. 1434.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1434
Abstract
College students represent the most prominent group of individuals when considering their lifestyles throughout aging. Therefore, this age group serves as a good opportunity for health education that could build positive health behaviors for life. Existing literature have said that the 18-25 year olds tend to have fewer resources and be often uninsured and have the highest rates of preventable diseases.2 Objective: The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of awareness and its subsequent effect on utilization of available health resources on campus among the student population of Liberty University. Additionally, the purpose of the research through the guidance of Health Belief framework intended to evaluate the determinants that control health-seeking behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study design was employed guided by Health Belief Model constructs. The survey was designed to analyze awareness levels and utilization barriers followed by a qualitative component to add contextual insights to the quantitative analysis. SAS version 9.4 was used for data analysis, awareness, barriers, utilization variables were measured by chi square, spearman correlations and ordinal logistic regression. Results: Response from 151 participants was received, among them 68% of the respondents had high levels of awareness of the services like prescription services (OR = 10.33, 95% CI 3.01–35.44) and vaccination services (OR = 5.10, 95% CI:2.29–11.32). Perceived barriers like “I don’t trust campus providers” (OR= 0.25, p = 0.0149), “I don’t think they can help me” (OR = 0.14, 95% CI:0.056–0.337, p < 0.001), and “preferred off campus providers” (Q9_2) (OR= 0.25, 95% CI: 0.056-0.337, P<0.001) impacted utilization. Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study draws on scientific research and informs relevant leadership bodies and public health policies to strategize action plans to address and improve service efficiency.
