Living through their first pandemic: Mississippi young adults reveal COVID-19 concerns and challenges.

The study aimed to understand the perceptions, knowledge, information sources, and coping skills pertaining to COVID-19 among two groups of African American young adults. African American ages 18-29 years enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and non-college enrolled young adults in Mississippi were the participants. : Focus groups were conducted from February through May 2021. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Findings suggest the college students faced anxiety and stress from the loss of loved ones and the college experience. Non-college enrolled young adults dealt with maintaining employment, pros and cons of taking the vaccine to continue work, and handling the frequent flow of information. The study highlights the importance of ensuring that reliable and trustworthy health promotion and health crisis prevention information, resources, and coping tools are available in the environments in which young adults live, learn, and work.