Zika Virus Summary

The researchers discussed in class and all agreed that Zika Virus is a very dangerous and continuing to plaque southwest Florida. In hopes to promote public safety and aware other about the virus and how it can be contracted, the researchers decided to focus our intervention towards first year students living on campus. The researchers started off the project by contacting Florida Gulf Coast University Student housing and Residence life. The plans for a Zika Virus intervention were shared with the administrator of Eagle Hall in South Lake Village which is an on campus, first year housing for students who attend the university. On September 20th the researchers sat down as a group to discuss a game plan of how an intervention would be arrange
and presented regarding Zika Virus to the residents of Eagle Hall. Points were brought up encouraging further investigation to be done regarding what the first year students in Eagle Hall initially know about Zika Virus. By gaining this information, the intervention will be better directed, focusing on issues that the students do not know. On September 30th the researchers set up a table in the Eagle Hall lobby. With the use of survey monkey, students were asked to complete a survey which asked 15 questions referring to Zika Virus, symptoms of the virus, how the virus can be contracted, and prevention of the virus. The survey was taken by 90 students. Through this survey the researchers were able to gauge that a majority of the students did not know general information pertaining to Zika Virus. By evaluating the data from the survey monkey the researchers were then able to make an informative presentation covering general information about Zika Virus, symptoms, causes, and preventive measure.
On October 11th the researchers met again to plan the intervention. It was assessed that the most beneficial way to promote the intervention was by handing out flyers to students in Eagle Hall and displaying flyers throughout the buildings. Each researcher worked on an individual portions of the intervention then their rough drafts were brought before the rest of the group for a final check. There were many meetings throughout the next month that were spent planning and organizing the intervention. In addition to the regular group meetings, the researchers kept in close contact with the Eagle Hall administrator with updates regarding the intervention. The intervention was held October 23rd. 11 students were present at the intervention. First an initial pre-test was given to the students. A majority of the students scored below a 70% on the pre-test, identifying that they were not well informed on the subject.
Following the pre-test, an informational presentation was shown to the students that pertained information regarding Zika Virus symptoms, causes, and preventive measures. The students responded well to the presentation. In addition to the presentation a brochure was handed out to all the students. This brochure allowed the students to follow along with the presentation and provided addition information about Zika Virus. After the presentation, a fun, online game called Kahoot, was played. The game allowed the students to refresh their memory about the information that they just learned. The students enjoyed the game and were able to get more involved while still learning about Zika Virus. Throughout the whole intervention, there were numerous times were the researchers asked if any of the students had any questions or comments regarding Zika Virus. There were a few clarification question as well as more critical questions, such as the student’s safety on Florida Gulf Coast University’s campus. The last step of the intervention was a post test. The students took a post-test that was identical to the pre-test. This allowed the researchers to compare and contrast what the students had learned throughout the intervention. The post-test were increasingly better than the pre-test. The average score on the post-test was 94%. After the presentation, the last
step was to call all the students to action, by pushing them to spread the information about Zika Virus so that others would be aware of the threat the virus poses on southwest Florida. The intervention itself ran smoothly, just as the researchers had predicted. There was not changes in the intervention as the researches presented the information to thee students. From the results of the pre-test and original survey monkey, the researchers were able to identify that many first year students living in Eagle Hall were unaware of the causes of Zika Virus, how Zika Virus could be prevented, and symptoms displayed in people who have contracted Zika Virus. The intervention showed that the students were eager and ready to learn about Zika Virus and what they could do to get involved and inform others. The post-test proved that the students were able to learn and retain the information that was presented to them regarding Zika Virus. The researches recommend that Florida Gulf Coast Universities Residence life and Student Housing should better inform not only students who live in Eagle Hall, or first-year students who live in South Lake Village, but all students living on campus about Zika Virus, how the virus can be contracted, ways to prevent contracting Zika Virus, and what symptoms to looks for. Before the intervention in Eagle Hall, many students did not know general information about Zika Virus, including common symptoms. By promoting basic information about Zika Virus, students will know how to avoid mosquito prone areas and what symptoms to look for in a person who has Zika Virus. In turn, this will better Florida Gulf Coast University’s community as a whole and allow the University to stay a Zika Virus free campus for time to come.