Assessing the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Students Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted everyone, including students. Accurate information about the disease, its spread, preventive measures and government-issued advisories is critical for containing an outbreak. We evaluated the knowledge, attitudes and practices, and the key behavioural determinants of clinical outcomes, among university students. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among IIHMR University students (31 March to 10 April 2020), soon after the nationwide lockdown in India. Through purposive sampling, we enrolled 529 students, who completed a semi-structured questionnaire (44% completion rate). Knowledge level of the participants was assessed using a scoring system, and chi-squared test and t-test were performed to detect significant (p < 0.05) differences among various groups. Results: More than 70 per cent of students had good knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, mode of transmission and preventive measures, and 66 per cent knew about treatment approaches. Social media (83%) and TV (77%) were their primary sources of information. Most students showed a willingness to follow social distancing and lockdown guidelines; however, only 27 per cent perceived the risk of infection. Nearly all students reported compliance with government health advisories. Conclusions: We evaluated COVID-19 awareness and impacts of various information sources on effective outbreak containment. Improved community engagement activities and effective communication are needed during widespread disease outbreaks.