Health literacy and fear among Iranian medical students due to COVID‐19: An observational study

Abstract

Introduction The coronavirus disease of the 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has created a sense of fear due to uncertainties in medical students’ personal and professional lives. Medical education is challenging and poses a more significant academic and emotional rigor when compared with other professional programs. With the COVID‐19 having limited treatment options, health literacy (HL) is crucial for managing and responding to the pandemic. This research aims to examine the impact of HL on COVID‐19‐associated fear among Iranian medical students. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted measuring the HL and fear of COVID‐19 using validated scales. Two hundred and seventy‐eight survey responses were received and analyzed descriptively by using SPSS software inferential statistics. Results Mean age of participants was 22.93 ± 5.427 years. The correlation between students’ total health literacy (HELIA) scores and their fear of COVID‐19 (FCV‐19S) scores was −0.279 (p value = .019). The FCV‐19S has a negative correlation with total HELIA in the group of females and males, single and married people, bachelor and MD students, and students living in rural areas and urban areas. The negative correlation of FCV‐19S with total HELIA in males and students who reside in rural areas was the only one that was not significant. In associate degree students, the correlation between FCV‐19S and total HELIA was positive but not significant. Education grades had a significant impact on FCV‐19S. Furthermore, the place of residence also had a significant impact on FCV‐19S. However, the gender and marital status did not significantly impact FCV‐19S. Conclusions The present study showed that students with higher HL scores had lesser fear of COVID‐19. The key stakeholders require several positive strategies to reduce fear and improve health, and such vital policies will assist in improving the students’ health and achieving the sustainable developmental goals.

Digital health literacy and well-being among university students: Mediating roles of fear of COVID-19, information satisfaction, and internet information search

“…The Chinese questionnaire was utilized as provided by the COVID-HL Network Survey on university students. 26 , 30 Data were gathered on sociodemographic characteristics, subjective social status, information satisfaction, the importance of online information searching, fear of COVID-19, DHL, and well-being.…”

“… 20 , 25 A study in Pakistan indicated that 54.3% of the students had high DHL score, and gender, sense of coherence, and importance of information were associated with higher DHL score. 26 Another study showed that DHL was positively associated with psychological well-being. 27 …”

Sleep disruptions and associated risk factors among Iranians during Ramadan amid COVID-19 pandemic: A nationwide cross-sectional study

“…[1,2] The corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, with its unique stressors like virus fear, financial uncertainty, and social isolation, has notably impacted sleep patterns worldwide. [3,4] Previous studies have underscored the prevalence of sleep disorders during this period, highlighting the influence of global and cultural factors in understanding these disturbances. [5,6] Another study emphasizes the importance of sleep in preserving life and improving our overall quality of life.…”

Fear of Covid-19 And Work Engagement as Predictors of Psychological Distress in Medical Residents

“…The government has opened many emergency hospitals with limited hospitals, but additional personnel is also needed ("RS Darurat," 2020). In addition, residents had been reallocated from their preliminary rotations to the emergency department, in-depth care unit, and Covid-19 ward to fulfill the demand of medical personnel (Fong et al, 2020) In addition, these medical residents also experienced fear during the uncertainty and their duties to provide services to patients suffering from Covid-19 (Pourfridoni et al, 2022;Terzic-Supic, 2021).…”