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Stress is a health-compromising issue for undergraduate students that has only seemed to worsen during the COVID-19 pandemic. While most universities offer traditional medicinal treatments, prior research has suggested that some students prefer to utilize complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to cope with stress and illness. Given the growing popularity of CAM in the undergraduate population, the current study aimed to better understand the patterns underlying CAM usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our study, we examined whether individual difference variables such as the Big Five personality traits and perceived health locus of control as well as constructs like perceived stress predict CAM usage in undergraduates. Implications as well as suggestions for future studies are discussed.

The present research examines health persuasion from an embodied cognition perspective by proposing that engaging the motor system during presentation of a health message will lead individuals to become more skilled at performing the prescribed behaviour. Participants watched a video on the importance of flossing while either imaging themselves flossing or imaging themselves flossing while minimally engaging the motor system (i.e. touching a piece of floss). Females (but not males) who touched an individual floss while watching the video demonstrated better flossing skills 1 week later. Over time, participants (both males and females) who engaged the motor system also developed more accessible attitudes and had a stronger relationship between their perceived flossing efficacy and actual flossing skill. Implications for the theories of embodied cognition and health interventions are discussed.