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.

Online survey of university students’ perception, awareness and adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures

“…At the time this research was initiated, there were very few reports of attitudes towards prevention among students, which is a notable gap as student perceptions and adherence to prevention guidelines may vary substantial from other groups. However, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, research has explored the rate of students’ compliance with preventive measures [ 23 – 26 ] as well as attitudes or perceptions towards preventive measures among Iranian high school students [ 27 ] or among university students from the Middle East [ 28 , 29 ], Asia [ 30 , 31 ], Europe [ 32 , 33 ], and black college students from North Carolina, USA [ 34 ]. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to add to this growing body of literature to explore the perceptions and awareness of COVID-19 prevention measures among students at a large United States university.…”

The effect of a self-learned virtual learning package on knowledge, attitude, and self-care behaviors of COVID-19 in people referred to health and treatment centers

“…Experiences in this regard have shown that taking preventive measures in order to control the disease requires social awareness from all people, and one of the most important measures is to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and self-care behavior and improve these components [9][10][11][12]. The results of some studies have shown that a high level of knowledge about a disease is directly related to self-care behaviors [13][14][15][16], and some other studies have shown that a high level of attitude can predict these behaviors [17][18][19][20].…”