COVID-19 Pandemic
The relationships between Greek membership, alcohol consumption, and SARS-CoV-2 incidence among college students Chen Chen* Chen Chen Christina Ludema Ming Li Molly Resenberg Jonathan T. Macy
This study tested the relationships between Greek membership, alcohol consumption, and SARS-CoV-2 incidence in a sample of college students during the Fall 2020 semester, while taking into account potential selection biases and measurement errors.
Data collection involved online baseline and bi-weekly follow-up surveys for 8 weeks, and baseline/endline antibody testing using BGI Colloidal Gold IgM/IgG rapid assay kits. Incidence was determined by seropositivity in the endline assessment for those who were seronegative at baseline. We specified logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for age, gender, race, and RT-PCR history. Direct standardization generalized results to the IU undergraduate population, and a sensitivity analysis corrected for measurement error in negative predictive values (74.63%).
Key findings: Among the 808 college students with negative SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests at baseline, 5.2% tested positive 8 weeks later at endline. 22.4% of the sample were Greek members, and 7.7% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at endline, compared to 4.5% of non-Greek members. Higher alcohol frequency and hazardous alcohol behavior were observed among infected individuals. Greek members had a higher likelihood of getting infected compared to non-members (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.01, 4.00). Elevated alcohol consumption also increased infection odds, especially with hazardous behavior (aOR = 4.79, 95% CI: 1.34, 17.10). No significant Greek membership-alcohol consumption interaction was observed. Instead, Greek membership’s effect on infection risk dropped from 2.01 (1.01, 4.00) to 1.59 (0.78, 3.26) after adjusting for alcohol use, suggesting that the impact may be through elevated alcohol consumption and risky behavior.
These findings offer valuable insights for public health interventions and university policies, particularly within the unique dynamics of Greek organizations in educational institutions.
