A Cross-Sectional Study of the Satisfaction with, Adherence to, and Perspectives toward COVID-19 Preventive Measures among Public Health Students in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed J Almalki

doi:10.3390/ijerph19020802

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant influence on education systems, educational environments, teachers, and students. This study aims to assess the satisfaction with, adherence to, and perspectives toward COVID-19 preventive measures among public health students in Jazan, Saudi Arabia in order to enhance their campus experience. This study utilized a cross-sectional methodology. Data were collected using convenience sampling between 2–19 November 2020; this was accomplished using an online survey administered via Google Forms. The final sample consisted of 200 participants. More than half of the participants (55.0%) were dissatisfied with the preventive measures that had been applied on campus, while 19.0% had a neutral outlook. Interestingly, female participants showed a higher level of dissatisfaction toward the preventive measures (70.6%) than male participants (43.5%). The ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between the degree of satisfaction with the COVID-19 preventive measures and the participant’s gender and education level. Male students were more likely to be satisfied with the preventive measures (p < 0.029, OR = 2.199) than female students. In addition, final year students were 4.1 times more likely to be satisfied with the COVID-19 preventive measures (p < 0.004, OR = 0.242) than Year 2 students, and 6.2 times more likely to be satisfied (p ≤ 0.001, OR = 0.162) than Year 3 students. Efforts are needed to improve the students’ satisfaction with COVID-19 preventive measures. Steps are also required to ensure that the procedures and actions introduced by the college extend to all students. In addition, further research is needed to recognize and understand the participants’ experiences after moving to the new buildings, receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and returning to on campus study.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s health; it has influenced almost all other aspects of life, including education systems, educational environments, teachers, and students
Saudi Arabia has spent a significant amount of effort and taken several measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic and limit its spread among the general public
The eligibility criteria for the inclusion of participants included being a student at the College of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (CPHTM) at Jazan University, enrolled at the second year or above of undergraduate studies and attending on campus courses as well as the mid-term exams conducted during Semester 1, 2020/2021 academic year

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s health; it has influenced almost all other aspects of life, including education systems, educational environments, teachers, and students. One of the main challenges faced by the traditional education systems during the COVID-19 pandemic was adapting the system to meet the education needs [1]. The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia as of November 2020, the time of data collection was as high as 357,360, in addition to approximately 5896 deaths [2]. Current statistics by World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the confirmed infected cases of COVID-19 by December 2021 reached 551,462, with 8867 deaths [3]. Saudi Arabia has spent a significant amount of effort and taken several measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic and limit its spread among the general public

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