Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 pandemic among medical students of Ernakulam, India

Abstract

Background: COVID – 19 infection is a serious pandemic the world is now facing. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 infection among medical students at a private medical college in central Kerala. 
 Methods: A cross-sectional web-based study was conducted during April-May 2020 in a private medical college in Ernakulam District using the Universal sampling technique. The study tool was a semi-structured validated questionnaire containing sociodemographic details and questions on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding COVID-19 infection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software.
 Results: A total of 288 students were included in the study, with a mean age of 21±1.4. The male-to-female ratio was 2.75:1. Medical students showed adequate knowledge (81.6%), attitude (91.3%), and practice (84.7%) towards the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. The main symptoms of COVID-19 infection were known to at least 83% of the participants. The majority (85.4%) were aware that there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 infection and 90% were aware of the main modes of the disease transmission. The majority (99%) of the medical students believed that COVID-19 infection could be prevented through social distancing, wearing masks, and the practice of self-hygiene. About 75.6% believed that government measures for prevention are adequate. Steam inhalation, saline gargling, and consumption of vitamin C-rich foodstuffs were the main specific measures adopted. Older age and female gender were found to be associated with better knowledge.
 Conclusion: Adequate KAP levels among medical students in this study are attributable to the current lockdown and the strict government measures to contain the infection.

Knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 among healthcare workers in Iraq

“…The results of our study coincide with the results of previous studies conducted by Galasso et al [30] and de la Vega et al [31], which confirmed that women take the COVID-19 pandemic more seriously and adhere to the standards of protection from the coronavirus more than men. In line with previous studies [14,16,32], regression analysis showed that married (P=0.038) and those who have experience of 10 years and above (P=0.038) showed an optimistic attitude towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, senior health professionals have acquired the skills and knowledge to act wisely when dealing with health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic [33].…”

“…In the linear regression analysis, women showed a more positive attitude (P=0.022) toward COVID-19 than men. Several previous studies [14][15][16][27][28][29][30][31] reported higher morbidity and mortality rates among men than women. Peckham et al [28] found that the likelihood of needing an intensive therapy unit is approximately three times higher for men than for women.…”

“…Data was collected using a self-administered survey from October to December 2020 in Anbar province, Western Iraq. The current study is part of a larger research initiative [14][15][16], in which we recruited a web-based survey to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice among the general population.…”

“…Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the population and healthcare workers towards the COVID-19 pandemic [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Most surveyed people showed acceptable KAP towards COVID-19 [14][15][16][17]. The biggest challenge was to ensure the competence of health personnel to face the pandemic.…”

Knowledge and Attitude about Emerging Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) among Dental Public Health Students in Thailand

“…Yakar et al 13 16 found that the average score in the knowledge questionnaire was 9.8 (S.D.=1.62, range=0-12). Another study by Kalliath et al 17 studied the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding COVID-19 pandemic among medical students of Ernakulam, India. They found that most medical students had sufficient knowledge (81.6%) and attitudes (91.3%) on the COVID-19 pandemic.…”