The hidden cost of illness: exploring the relationship between seasonal respiratory illness, self-efficacy, and academic achievement of undergraduate science students.
- 1Department of Human Biosciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.
- 2Department of Human Biosciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Seasonal respiratory illnesses (SRIs), including COVID-19, have significantly disrupted university students' academic experiences. This study examines the association of SRIs with key academic factors such as attendance, self-efficacy, and academic performance, alongside their association with preventative behaviours like handwashing and mask-wearing.Methods
Undergraduate students were surveyed during the Winter 2023 Semester. The survey collected data on SRIs, self-efficacy (using the General Academic Self-Efficacy scale), perceived attendance, and academic performance. SRI scores were derived from illness frequency, duration, and severity. Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple linear regression.Results
Among participants, 84.5% reported experiencing SRIs, with an average of 3.8 occurrences lasting a total of 22 days. Regular handwashing displayed a downward trend with SRI scores, but was not statistically significant (β = -1.87, p = 0.05), while mask-wearing unexpectedly correlated with higher SRI scores (β = + 1.79, p = 0.02). Higher SRI scores were significantly linked to lower self-efficacy (p = 0.0011) and academic performance (p < 0.0001).Conclusions
SRIs were notably associated with students' academic outcomes, with self-efficacy potentially helping explain this relationship. The limited association between attendance and academic achievement may reflect the post-pandemic expansion of online access to instructional materials. The unexpected link between mask-wearing and higher SRI scores may be attributed to the limitations of the study design. Due to the cross-sectional nature of this study, causal inferences could not be drawn, restricting the findings to correlational associations. Overall findings suggest that supporting students' psychological resilience and promoting regular handwashing may be important for reducing SRIs' significant impact on academic success.
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BibTeX
@article{white2026hidden,
title = {{The hidden cost of illness: exploring the relationship between seasonal respiratory illness, self-efficacy, and academic achievement of undergraduate science students.}},
author = {Jenna White and Amy M Todd},
journal = {BMC public health},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-29016-2},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43009909},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The hidden cost of illness: exploring the relationship between seasonal respiratory illness, self-efficacy, and academic achievement of undergraduate science students.
AU - Jenna White
AU - Amy M Todd
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/14
JO - BMC public health
DO - 10.1186/s12889-026-29016-2
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43009909
AB - Background Seasonal respiratory illnesses (SRIs), including COVID-19, have significantly disrupted university students' academic experiences. This study examines the association of SRIs with key academic factors such as attendance, self-efficacy, and academic performance, alongside their association with preventative behaviours like handwashing and mask-wearing.Methods Undergraduate students were surveyed during the Winter 2023 Semester. The survey collected data on SRIs, self-efficacy (using the General Academic Self-Efficacy scale), perceived attendance, and academic performance. SRI scores were derived from illness frequency, duration, and severity. Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple linear regression.Results Among participants, 84.5% reported experiencing SRIs, with an average of 3.8 occurrences lasting a total of 22 days. Regular handwashing displayed a downward trend with SRI scores, but was not statistically significant (β = -1.87, p = 0.05), while mask-wearing unexpectedly correlated with higher SRI scores (β = + 1.79, p = 0.02). Higher SRI scores were significantly linked to lower self-efficacy (p = 0.0011) and academic performance (p < 0.0001).Conclusions SRIs were notably associated with students' academic outcomes, with self-efficacy potentially helping explain this relationship. The limited association between attendance and academic achievement may reflect the post-pandemic expansion of online access to instructional materials. The unexpected link between mask-wearing and higher SRI scores may be attributed to the limitations of the study design. Due to the cross-sectional nature of this study, causal inferences could not be drawn, restricting the findings to correlational associations. Overall findings suggest that supporting students' psychological resilience and promoting regular handwashing may be important for reducing SRIs' significant impact on academic success.
SN - 1471-2458
ER -