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Gaps in Knowledge About SARS-CoV-2 & COVID-19 Among University Students Are Associated With Negative Attitudes Toward People With COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in Cyprus.

ABSTRACT: University students represent a highly active group in terms of their social activity in the community and in the propagation of information on social media. We aimed to map the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of University students in Cyprus about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to guide targeted future measures and information campaigns. We used a cross-sectional online survey targeting all students in conventional, not distance-learning, programs in five major universities in the Republic of Cyprus. Students were invited to participate through the respective Studies and Student Welfare Office of each institution. The survey was made available in English and Greek on REDCap. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The questionnaire was developed based on a consensus to cover the main factual information directed by official channels toward the general public in Cyprus at the time of the survey. In addition to sociodemographic information (N = 8), the self-administered questionnaire consisted of 19 questions, assessing the knowledge regarding the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, infection prevention and control measures (N = 10), perceptions related to COVID-19, for instance, whether strict travel measures are necessary (N = 4), and attitudes toward a hypothetical person infected (N = 2). Furthermore, participants were asked to provide their own assessment of their knowledge about COVID-19 and specifically with regard to the main symptoms and ways of transmission (N = 3). The number of students who completed the survey was 3,641 (41% studying Health/Life Sciences). Amongst them, 68.8% responded correctly to at least 60% of knowledge-related questions. Misconceptions were identified in 30%. Only 29.1% expressed a positive attitude toward a hypothetical person with COVID-19 without projecting judgment (9.2%) or blame (38%). Odds of expressing a positive attitude increased by 18% (95% CI 13-24%; p < 0.001) per unit increase in knowledge. Postgraduate level education was predictive of better knowledge (odds ratio (OR) 1.81; 95% CI 1.34-2.46; p < 0.001 among doctoral students] and positive attitude [OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.01-1.80; p = 0.04). In this study, we show that specific knowledge gaps and misconceptions exist among University students about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and their prevalence is associated with negative attitudes toward people with COVID-19. Our findings highlight the integrated nature of knowledge and attitude and suggest that improvements to the former could contribute to improvements in the latter.

SUBMITTER: Middleton N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8640461 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases worldwide with numerous undiagnosed and untreated cases, emphasizing the need for TB awareness to minimize transmission and initiate early treatment. Data regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward TB among Jordanians is lacking but requires attention given the massive migration spells to Jordan from neighboring countries in the past decade. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2022. An online questionnaire was developed following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for TB KAP surveys and was distributed to Jordanian university students. The questionnaire documented sociodemographic data and measured participants' KAP toward TB. Descriptive and analytic statistics were used to report KAP levels and highlight relevant sociodemographic factors associated with better KAP. Results 602 participants completed the survey; most were females (60.8%), in their first 3 years of school (84.4%), and from a healthcare field of study (57.0%). The knowledge section median score was 27 out of 51. Knowledge gaps in TB treatment, and to a lesser extent, TB transmission routes were identified. The attitudes section median score was 6 out of 9, attitudes were generally positive toward TB patients with no indication of a social stigma. The practice section median score was 6 out of 8, most participants would take the correct measures if they suspected being infected, yet around 41.0% were not confident that masks are important in preventing airborne diseases. Students in healthcare specialties had significantly better KAP scores and identifying as a smoker was associated with a lower practice score. Conclusion Although university students displayed satisfactory KAP scores, the focus should be aimed at informing students from non-healthcare fields on TB transmission routes, treatment options, and the role of masks in preventing disease transmission.

Project description:The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly altered peoples' daily lives, and it continues spreading as a crucial concern globally. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward COVID-19 are related to individuals' adherence to government measures. This study evaluated KAP toward COVID-19 among university students in Japan between May 22 and July 16, 2020, via an online questionnaire, and it further investigated the associated determining KAP factors. Among the eligible respondents (n = 362), 52.8% were female, 79.0% were undergraduate students, 32.9% were students whose major university subjects were biology-related, 35.4% were from the capital region, and 83.7% were Japanese. The overall KAP of university students in Japan was high. All respondents (100%) showed they possessed knowledge on avoiding enclosed spaces, crowded areas, and close situations. Most respondents showed a moderate or higher frequency of washing their hands or wearing masks (both at 96.4%). In addition, 68.5% of respondents showed a positive attitude toward early drug administration. In the logistic regressions, gender, major subjects, education level, nationality, residence, and psychological factors (private self-consciousness and extroversion) were associated with knowledge or attitudes toward COVD-19 (p < 0.05). In the logistic and multiple linear regressions, capital regions, high basic knowledge, high information acquisition, correct information explanations contributed positively to preventative action (p < 0.05). Non-capital regions, male gender, non-bio-backgrounds, high public self-consciousness, high advanced knowledge, incorrect information explanations, and high extroversion contributed negatively to self-restraint (p < 0.05). Moreover, self-restraint was decreasing over time. These findings clarify the Japanese university students' KAP and the related factors in the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they may help university managers, experts, and policymakers control the future spread of COVID-19 and other emerging infections.

Project description:IntroductionEpilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by repetitive seizures which could occur in different forms depending on the site of brain disturbance. It has both psychological as well as social effects resulting in stigmatization and isolation of epileptic patients. Even though medical students are considered a role model of well-educated communities, previous studies showed that students lack the satisfactory knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy, so it is important to evaluate the concept of epilepsy and to measure awareness and attitudes toward epileptic patients among medical students of King Abdulaziz University. The aim of this study is to determine knowledge, perception and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students at King Abdulaziz University.MethodsAn observational cross-sectional study was conducted on 455 medical students from Faculty of medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Western region) through a web-based survey in July 2018. The survey is composed of many sections (demographic variables, knowledge, attitudes and practices toward epilepsy). The survey was applied as a Google form and the data were analyzed by IBM-SPSS for Windows, version 21.0. The chi-square test of independence was used for data analysis.ResultsFour hundred thirty-six out of 455 students (98.5%) were aware about epilepsy. However, the level of knowledge varies depending on the educational level of these students, because 88.5% of the students responded that brain injury is the most common cause and 57.3% said it is a genetic disease, while 3.7% stated that it was due to evil spirit. As a treatment method, medication and God's help were chosen by 95.8% and 57.8%, respectively. Objection to marry an epileptic patient was the most common negative attitude toward epileptics among the participants. Nonetheless, the overall attitude was found to be positive.ConclusionKing Abdulaziz University medical students have had some misunderstandings regarding causes, manifestations and treatment of epilepsy which could affect their attitudes toward epileptic individuals. Educational programs which include more clinical exposure to such common diseases are required to improve students' impressions of these diseases.

Project description:BackgroundLittle is known about the psychological impact of COVID-19 on university students during the disease outbreak in China, but this information is important for the development of services to support these students who are typically in their early 20s. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine university students' knowledge, attitudes, and mental health status during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.MethodsOn February 10, 2020 and during the second week of national lockdown, 511 students from a university in China were assessed using the COVID-19 General Information Questionnaire and the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) questionnaire. To understand the mental health status of the current sample, we compared it with the normal population.ResultsFour hundred and seventy-two valid questionnaires were collected. In total, 11% of respondents reported confirmed COVID-19 cases in their hometowns or communities. In view of students' knowledge about COVID-19, 56% had sufficient knowledge of typical symptoms of COVID-19, and 41% knew a lot about prevention methods for the future pandemic. In terms of the risk perceptions, 57% had experienced considerable fear of this disease, and 19% perceived a high risk of becoming infected. In terms of attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic, 63% felt positive about its development (i.e., it was generally under control), and 92% declared that they were willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The scores for somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and the general severity index were significantly increased compared with the norm (p < 0.001). However, no differences in the scores for depression, hostility and psychoticism were noted (p > 0.05).ConclusionUniversity students possessed insufficient COVID-19 knowledge and high-risk perceptions. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health of university students. Social support and targeted interventions tailored to university students should be provided during such an outbreak, and university administration should strengthen the cultivation of students' mental toughness using standard teaching processes.

Project description:ObjectiveThis cross-sectional study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Vietnamese university students regarding COVID-19.MethodsA validated questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.71) was used to survey 1,025 students. A convenience sampling method was used for recruiting students from April to May 2022. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test/Dunn test for multiple comparisons were employed to compare students' KAP scores between two groups and among three groups or more, respectively. Factors associated with students' COVID-19 KAP scores were determined via univariate and multivariate linear regression models. Variables in the multivariate linear regression models were chosen using the Bayesian Model Averaging method in R software version 4.2.0.ResultsA majority of students had good knowledge (75.61%), positive attitudes (98.24%), and good practices toward COVID-19 (94.93%). Regarding the COVID-19 knowledge, the proportions of students who knew that mosquito bites and exposure to/eating wild animals would not lead to COVID-19 infection were not high (47.22 and 34.34%, respectively). More importantly, 70.34% of students thought that vitamins and minerals could help prevent or cure COVID-19. Antibiotics were the first choice for COVID-19 treatment of 438 students (42.73%). Nearly half of students (48.0%) bought antibiotics to keep at home in case of COVID-19 infection. The average KAP scores of medical students (19.97 ± 3.99, 45.10 ± 3.94, 9.72 ± 1.78) and females (18.67 ± 4.44, 44.79 ± 3.79, 9.36 ± 1.84) were significantly higher than those of non-medical students (16.48 ± 4.37, 43.33 ± 4.03, 8.68 ± 1.87) and males (17.01 ± 4.55, 42.79 ± 4.39, 8.77 ± 1.97), respectively (p < 0.001). Older students were more likely to have good knowledge and practices than the younger ones (p < 0.001). In addition, students using websites of the World Health Organization/the Ministry of Health and scientific articles to seek COVID-19 information were significantly associated with higher KAP scores when compared with those not using these sources (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.00139, respectively).ConclusionStudents' KAP scores significantly varied by age, sex, major, and sources of COVID-19 information. Although many students had sufficient knowledge, positive attitudes, and good preventive practices toward COVID-19, additional education and training strategies are paramount, especially for non-medical students and males.

Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic led to the disruption of physical classes for university students globally, as large gatherings fuelled the transmission of the virus. In the efforts to mitigate its transmission and return to normality, prevention measures, including vaccination, have been encouraged. Therefore, it is critical to understand the knowledge and practices of students regarding COVID-19. This study assessed the knowledge and practices toward COVID-19 among healthcare students at the University of Zambia.Materials and methodsThis questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out from August 2021 to October 2021 among 478 healthcare students (pharmacy, physiotherapy, nursing, biomedical, medicine, and radiography). We used a previously validated questionnaire to measure knowledge and practice. The predictors of knowledge and practices were assessed using logistic regression with robust estimation of standard errors. Statistical analysis was conducted using Stata/BE version 17.0.ResultsOf the 478 respondents, 243 (50.8%) were females. A larger proportion, 175 (36.6%) were in Pharmacy training, and 156 (32.6%) were in their fifth year of study. The overall mean knowledge score of the participants was 87.9 (SD = 16.1), being higher at 89.6 (SD = 14.3) among medical students and the lowest at 86.7 (SD = 17.1) among Pharmacy students, although this was statistically non-significant (p = 0.488). The overall mean practice score was 60.0 (SD = 24.7), being significantly higher at 63.5 (23.4) among nursing, physiotherapy and environmental students compared to other students (p = 0.048). In multivariable analysis, the participant training program was non-significantly associated with knowledge and practice toward COVID-19. However, increased age (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.117) and residing in urban areas (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.07-3.01) than in rural areas were associated with higher odds of good practice toward COVID-19.ConclusionThe healthcare students generally showed good knowledge levels and poor practices toward COVID-19. Further, there was no evidence of a difference in knowledge of COVID-19 among healthcare students. These findings suggest the need for implementation strategies to be centered on improving the practices of students toward COVID-19.

Project description:BackgroundUniversity students' knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward COVID-19 are vital to prevent the spread of the virus, especially in the context of developing countries. Consequently, the present study aimed to determine the KAP levels of university students and associated anxiety during the earlier stage of the pandemic in Bangladesh.MethodsA cross-sectional, online study with 544 university students was conducted during April 17-May 1, 2020. The questionnaire incorporated several KAP-related test items aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Anxiety was measured with the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-2). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between KAP levels and anxiety adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Subgroup analyses included rerunning models stratified by gender and quarantine status.ResultsApproximately 50% of students showed high levels of knowledge about COVID-19 guidelines, 59% reported behavioral practices that aligned with COVID-19 guidelines, and 39% had negative attitudes toward COVID-19 guidelines. Attitudes differed by anxiety (χ2 = 23.55, p < 0.001); specifically, negative attitudes were associated with higher anxiety (OR: 2.40, 95% CI = 1.66-3.46, p < 0.001). Associations were significant for male (OR = 2.36; 95% CI = 1.45-3.84, p < 0.001) and female (OR = 2.45; 95% CI = 1.3-4.34; p < 0.001) students. Stratified analyses found non-quarantined students with negative attitudes had three times the chance of experiencing anxiety (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.98-4.98, p < 0.001). Non-quarantined students with low levels of knowledge had half the chance of developing anxiety (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.31-0.78, p < 0.01).ConclusionBased on these findings, it is recommended that university authorities continue to prioritize proactive and effective measures to develop higher levels of knowledge, more positive attitudes and better behavioral practices regarding COVID-19 for the mental health of their students.

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Gaps in Knowledge About SARS-CoV-2 & COVID-19 Among University Students Are Associated With Negative Attitudes Toward People With COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in Cyprus.

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