Study participants were recruited at Örebro University, Sweden, on four occasions, September 2018, January 2019, May 2019 and September 2019. The sample collection took place at two campuses of the university, the medical campus and the general campus, located at a distance of three km from each other.
All students at the university were eligible for inclusion and the students could participate on one or more of the sampling occasions. The students were informed about the study in advance via posters, social media and the university's home page. They were also approached about participation by the researchers in major hallways of the university buildings, and provided with written and oral information about the study. At inclusion, each participant generated a unique digital study code, enabling repeated data input from the same individual without storage of civic number or other personal data.
The participating students completed an electronic questionnaire, connected with their personal study code, to assess risk factors for meningococcal carriage, including age, household conditions, current or recent upper respiratory tract infection, recent use of antibiotics, smoking habits, frequency of alcohol drinking, frequency of attending parties, pubs or night clubs and prior meningococcal vaccination.
The questionnaire also contained questions about number of persons kissed in the last week, and whether the participant had shared a glass or bottle, as well as use of a water pipe or cannabis, which are both usually shared between people. In addition, the participants reported their use of Swedish snus (moist powder tobacco in powder form or packaged in tea bag-like portion sachets made of cellulose fibres, placed inside the upper lip).
All students at the university were eligible for inclusion and the students could participate on one or more of the sampling occasions. The students were informed about the study in advance via posters, social media and the university's home page. They were also approached about participation by the researchers in major hallways of the university buildings, and provided with written and oral information about the study. At inclusion, each participant generated a unique digital study code, enabling repeated data input from the same individual without storage of civic number or other personal data.
The participating students completed an electronic questionnaire, connected with their personal study code, to assess risk factors for meningococcal carriage, including age, household conditions, current or recent upper respiratory tract infection, recent use of antibiotics, smoking habits, frequency of alcohol drinking, frequency of attending parties, pubs or night clubs and prior meningococcal vaccination.
The questionnaire also contained questions about number of persons kissed in the last week, and whether the participant had shared a glass or bottle, as well as use of a water pipe or cannabis, which are both usually shared between people. In addition, the participants reported their use of Swedish snus (moist powder tobacco in powder form or packaged in tea bag-like portion sachets made of cellulose fibres, placed inside the upper lip).
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