The Knowledge and Attitude of Precautionary Measurements for COVID-19 Pandemic Among College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction and Research Problem: Since SARS-CoV-2 virus spread, 190 countries have reported over 84 million confirmed cases. Many countries took certain precautionary measurements. The balance between maintaining the educational process and protecting the lives of millions at risk remains a debate and whether to maintain public attendance or promote virtual learning. The goal of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of college students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, towards COVID-19 precautionary measurements in both public and private spaces. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study for an epidemiological investigation in compliance to STROBE criteria and based in King Abdulaziz University, was conducted during the period of June 2021 looking at percentage of compliance to different precautionary measurements by college students and an analysis of their behavior. A total number of 606 college students were selected on random sampling technique from both genders in 12 different universities. Microsoft software was used with a 95% confidence level and a 5% error margin. Data input and statistical analysis were done by Excel and SPSS. Summary of Results: 51.32% of the participants were males while 48.68% were females. Mean participants’ age was 21.01±2.828. Participants were grouped according to their age into, 21> group and 21 group. Groups participated according to their enrolled universities where students enrolled at King Abdulaziz University contributed the most to the questionnaire. Conclusion and Recommendations: Measuring the knowledge and attitude of college students is essential to understand the virus’ social course among this population. Findings were encouraging in terms of their knowledge and attitude. However, periodic training is required based on the previous experience. Social media proved to be a main source in obtaining information. Almost all institutions eventually applied a hybrid model of online/in person classes. This study also bridges the current gap in local research related to the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine among university students. Though the sample has been collected from all major universities in Jeddah, sample sizes from different universities varied. Moreover, the study focuses on the knowledge of the population in the recent days of the pandemic (June 2021) and therefore might not be generalizable outside the domain of the defined population and scope of the present study. Keywords: coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, attitude, knowledge, students, precautionary measurements, Saudi Arabia