Knowledge, Perceptions, and Prevention Practices among Palestinian University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Questionnaire-Based Survey | Zendy

Basma Salameh | Zendy; Sami Basha | Zendy; Walid Basha | Zendy; Jihad Abdallah | Zendy

Open Access

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Prevention Practices among Palestinian University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Questionnaire-Based Survey

Author(s) -

Basma Salameh,

Sami Basha,

Walid Basha,

Jihad Abdallah

Publication year - 2021

Publication title -

inquiry the journal of health care organization provision and financing

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 0.792

H-Index - 43

eISSN - 1945-7243

pISSN - 0046-9580

DOI - 10.1177/0046958021993944

Subject(s) - misinformation , pandemic , government (linguistics) , covid-19 , social media , computer assisted web interviewing , perception , population , medical education , christian ministry , psychology , medicine , family medicine , public relations , environmental health , political science , business , marketing , linguistics , philosophy , disease , pathology , neuroscience , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law

The purpose of this study is to offer a timely understanding of university students’ knowledge, perception, and preventative practices related to COVID-19 in Palestine and to determine affecting factors (gender, region, and type of locality). A cross-sectional design was used and data was collected over 2 weeks in April 2020 through an online survey. A total of 484 surveys were collected from students from different Palestinian universities. Participants showed high levels of knowledge across multiple topics (symptoms and characteristics of COVID-19, prevention practices, and at-risk groups), although respondents were less likely to indicate mask wearing as an effective prevention practice compared to other practices, and almost one-third reported incorrectly that taking antibiotics is effective in preventing COVID-19 infection. Respondents reported the most trust in the Ministry of Health as a source of information, and the least trust in social media. A generally high level of acceptance of government regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic was found. Given the current global situation and the second wave of infections in Palestine, plans should be in place to disseminate correct information and combat newly-emerging rumors and misinformation through channels that are trusted by the university student population.

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