Open AccessKnowledge, preventive behavior and risk perception regarding COVID-19: a self-reported study on college students
Author(s) -
Muhammed Elhadi,
Ahmed Msherghi,
Ahmed Alsoufi,
Anis Buzreg,
Ahmad Bouhuwaish,
Ala Khaled,
Abdulmueti Alhadi,
Hind Alameen,
Marwa Biala,
Alsafa Elgherwi,
Fatimah Elkhafeefi,
Amna Elmabrouk,
Abdulmuez Abdulmalik,
Sarah Alhaddad,
Kawsar Ahmed,
Moutaz Elgzairi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the pan african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.287
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 1937-8688
DOI - 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.2.23586
Subject(s) - covid-19 , perception , risk perception , psychology , family medicine , outbreak , medicine , medical education , clinical psychology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , pathology , neuroscience
There are a limited number of studies on the issues associated with the knowledge and self-practice preventive measures for COVID-19 among medical students. We aimed to determine the extent of knowledge, self-reported preventive behavior, and risk perception of the COVID-19 outbreak among college students in Libya. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20 to April 30, 2020. The participants were students of medical and non-medical subjects from Libyan educational institutes. Data on participants’ characteristics, knowledge, preventive behavior, and risk perception were collected. Results Approximately 3669 participants completed the questionnaire, of which 2547 (69.4) were medical students and 1122 (30.6%) were non-medical students. The mean knowledge score on COVID-19 was 8.62 (SD: 1.26, range: 0-12), corresponding to 71.8% correct answers. A significant difference was observed between medical and non-medical students in terms of knowledge (p < 0.001). Overall, the knowledge score of the students differed significantly with respect to age, current year of study, and financial source (p < 0.05). The mean score of preventive behavioral measures toward COVID-19 (out of 8) was 7.42 (SD: 0.95, range: 0-8), and the overall preventive measure score was estimated to be approximately 7.42/8*100, which corresponds to 92.7% for both medical and non-medical students. Conclusion Notably, college students were observed to have substantial knowledge, preventive behavior, and a positive attitude toward COVID-19. Government programs should aim to educate individuals from other sectors of the society to ensure the proper dissemination of knowledge on preventive safety measures, as this will help restrict and control the pandemic.