Risk perception and preventive behaviors among Turkish medical students during early period of the COVID-19 pandemic

Year 2021, , 460 - 472, 30.06.2021

Süleyman Utku Uzun , Nevzat Atalay Çelikyürek , Ahmet Ergin

https://doi.org/10.17826/cumj.840507

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19 related risk perception, preventive behaviors among Turkish medical students within the two weeks after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 646 medical students (1st-6th year) in Pamukkale University with an online questionnaire. Forms were collected between 23rd to 31st of March 2020 via Google form. The questionnaire consisted of 39 questions including 12 items about sociodemographic information, 6 questions regarding COVID-19, 11 items about risk perception and 10 items regarding preventive measures about COVID-19.
Results: The mean age of students was 21.77±2.28 years and 413 (63.8%) of them were female. The mean risk perception score of students was 22.70±4.68 (out of 44) and the mean preventive behavior score of students was 32.20±4.70 (out of 40). There was a significantly positive correlation between risk perception and preventive behavior scores. Female students, students with lower income, students whose mothers were highly educated, students who evaluated their health status as poor and who evaluated their knowledge about COVID-19 as insufficient had higher risk perception. Adoption of protective measures were higher in female students, married students, students who have chronic diseases and students who evaluated their health status as poor.
Conclusion: Medical students in Turkey had a moderate risk perception and high preventive behaviors about COVID-19. In order to enhance students’ risk perception, educators should be more involved in the process of medical education regarding the pandemic.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic, medical student, risk perception, health behavior, prevention

COVID-19 pandemisi erken döneminde Türk tıp öğrencilerinin risk algısı ve korunmaya yönelik davranışları

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye'de pandeminin başlamasından sonraki iki hafta içinde Türk tıp öğrencilerinin COVID-19 ile ilgili risk algılarını ve korunmaya yönelik davranışlarını değerlendirmektir.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Kesitsel tipteki bu çalışma, Pamukkale Üniversitesi'ndeki 646 tıp öğrencisi (1-6. sınıf) arasında çevrimiçi bir anketle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Formlar 23-31 Mart 2020 tarihleri arasında Google formlar aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Anket sosyo-demografik bilgilerle ilgili 12 madde, COVID-19 ile ilgili 6 soru, risk algısı ile ilgili 11 madde ve COVID-19 ile ilgili korunmaya yönelik davranışlarla ilgili 10 madde olmak üzere toplam 39 sorudan oluşmaktadır.
Bulgular: Çalışmaya katılan öğrencilerin yaş ortalaması 21.77±2.28 olup, 413'ü (63.8%) kadındır. Öğrencilerin ortalama risk algısı puanı 22.70±4.68 (44 üzerinden) ve öğrencilerin korunmaya yönelik davranış puanı ortalaması 32.20±4.70 (40 üzerinden) idi. Risk algısı ile korunmaya yönelik davranış puanları arasında anlamlı pozitif korelasyon vardı). Kız öğrenciler, düşük gelirli öğrenciler, anneleri yüksek eğitim almış öğrenciler, sağlık durumlarını kötü olarak değerlendiren öğrenciler ve COVID-19 hakkındaki bilgilerini yetersiz olarak değerlendiren öğrencilerin risk algısı daha yüksekti. Kız öğrencilerde, evli öğrencilerde, kronik hastalığı olanlarda ve sağlık durumunu kötü olarak değerlendiren öğrencilerde korunmaya yönelik davranışları daha yüksekti.
Sonuç: Türkiye'deki tıp öğrencilerinin COVID-19 ile ilgili risk algısı orta düzeyde olup korunmaya yönelik davranışları yüksektir. Öğrencilerin risk algısını geliştirmek için, eğitimcilerin salgınla ilgili tıp eğitimi sürecine daha fazla dahil olması gerekmektedir.
.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemisi, tıp öğrencisi, risk algısı, sağlık davranışı, korunma

References

• References 1. Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, et al. A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:727–33.
• 2. Cucinotta D, Vanelli M. WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Acta Biomed. 2020;91:157–60.
• 3. Ministry of Health of Turkey [Internet]. Current status in Turkey. [accessed: August 11th, 2020]. Available from: https://covid19.saglik.gov.tr/
• 4. Ministry of Health of Turkey. [Internet]. Covid-19 Information Page. [accessed: December 9th, 2020]. Available from: https://covid19.saglik.gov.tr/?_Dil=2
• 5. Guler S, Bulut F, Calli ME. [Internet]. Turkey ramps up measures to prevent coronavirus spread. Anadolu Agency. March 12, 2020. [accessed: August 11th, 2020]. Available from: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/health/turkey-ramps-up-measures-to-prevent-coronavirus-spread/1764035.
• 6. Council of Higher Education. [Internet]. Press release-process of distance education and the new exam date for YKS. March 26, 2020. [accessed: August 11th, 2020]. Available from: https://www.yok.gov.tr/en/Sayfalar/news/2020/Process-of-Distance-Education-and-The-New-Exam-Date-for-YKS.aspx
• 7. General Medical Council. [Internet]. Medical students: professional values and fitness to practice. [accessed: August 11th, 2020]. Available from: http://www.ub.edu/medicina_unitateducaciomedica/documentos/Medical_students_2009.pdf.pdf
• 8. Johnson EJ, Hariharan S. Public health awareness: knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the general public on health risks during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. J Public Heal. 2017;25:333–37.
• 9. Maheshwari S, Gupta P, Sinha R, Rawat P. Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among medical students: A cross-sectional study. J Acute Dis. 2020;9:100-4.
• 10. Person B, Sy F, Holton K, Govert B, Liang A. National Center for Infectious Diseases/SARS Community Outreach Team. Fear and stigma: the epidemic within the SARS outbreak. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:358-63.
• 11. Ajilore K, Atakiti I, Onyenankeya K. College students’ knowledge, attitudes and adherence to public service announcements on Ebola in Nigeria: Suggestions for improving future Ebola prevention education programmes. Health Educ J. 2017;76:648-60.
• 12. Geldsetzer P. Knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 among the general public in the United States and the United Kingdom: A cross-sectional online survey. Ann Intern Med. 2020;173:157-60.
• 13. Roy D, Tripathy S, Kar SK, Sharma N, Verma SK, Kaushal V. Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;51:102083.
• 14. Conner M, Norman P. Predicting health behaviour: research and practice with social cognition models. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press; 2005.
• 15. Leung GM, Lam TH, Ho LM, Ho SY, Chan BHY, Wong IOL, et al. The impact of community psychological responses on outbreak control for severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003;57:857-63.
• 16. Smith RD. Responding to global infectious disease outbreaks: Lessons from SARS on the role of risk perception, communication and management. Soc Sci Med. 2006;63:3113-23.
• 17. Di Giuseppe G, Abbate R, Albano L, Marinelli P, Angelillo IF. A survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices towards avian influenza in an adult population of Italy. BMC Infect Dis. 2008;8:1-8.
• 18. Rubin GJ, Amlôt R, Page L, Wessely S. Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey. BMJ. 2009;339:b2651.
• 19. Almutairi KM, Al Helih EM, Moussa M, Boshaiqah AE, Alajilan AS, Vinluan JM, et al. Awareness, attitudes, and practices related to coronavirus pandemic among public in Saudi Arabia. Fam Community Heal. 2015;38:332-40.
• 20. Corrin T, Waddell L, Greig J, Young I, Hierlihy C, Mascarenhas M. Risk perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge of chikungunya among the public and health professionals: A systematic review. Trop Med Health. 2017;45:1-15.
• 21. Dohle S, Wingen T, Schreiber M. Acceptance and adoption of protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of trust in politics and trust in science. Preprint in Open Science Framework 2020. DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/w52nv
• 22. Taghrir MH, Borazjani R, Shiraly R. COVID-19 and Iranian medical students: A survey on their related-knowledge, preventive behaviors and risk perception. Arch Iran Med. 2020;23:249-54. 23. Dryhurst S, Schneider CR, Kerr J, Freeman ALJ, Recchia G. Risk perceptions of COVID-19 around the world. J Risk Res. 2020;0:1-13.
• 24. Paudel S, Shrestha P, Karmacharya I, Pathak OK. Knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 among Nepalese residents during the COVID-19 outbreak: An online cross-sectional study. Preprint in Research Square 2020. DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-31044/v1
• 25. Saddik B, Hussein A, Sharif-Askari FS, Kheder W, Temsah MH, Koutaich RA, et al. Increased levels of anxiety among medical and non-medical university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2020;13:2395-406.
• 26. Hamza MS, Badary OA, Elmazar MM. Cross-sectional study on awareness and knowledge of COVID-19 among senior pharmacy students. J Community Health. 2020. DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-33352/v1
• 27. Zhong BL, Luo W, Li HM, Zhang QQ, Liu XG, Li WT, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Chinese residents during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 outbreak: A quick online cross-sectional survey. Int J Biol Sci. 2020;16:1745-52.
• 28. Peng Y, Pei C, Zheng Y, Wang J, Zhang K, Zheng Z, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice associated with COVID-19 among university students: a cross-sectional survey in China. BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1292. 29. Harris CR, Jenkins M, Glaser D. Gender differences in risk assessment : why do women take fewer risks than men? Judgm Decis Mak. 2006;1:48-63.
• 30. Baig M, Jameel T, Alzahrani SH, Mirza AA, Gazzaz ZJ, Tauseef A, et al. Predictors of misconceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of Saudi population and its impact: a cross-sectional study. Preprint in medRxiv. 2020:1-28. DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.22.20110627
• 31. Karasneh R, Al-Azzam S, Muflih S, Soudah O, Hawamdeh S, Khader Y. Media’s effect on shaping knowledge, awareness risk perceptions and communication practices of pandemic COVID-19 among pharmacists. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.04.027
• 32. Patel J, Nielsen F, Badiani A, Assi S, Unadkat VA, Patel B, et al. Poverty, inequality and COVID-19: the forgotten vulnerable. Public Health. 2020;183:110-1.
• 33. Abdel Wahed WY, Hefzy EM, Ahmed MI, Hamed NS. Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and perception of health care workers regarding COVID-19, a cross-sectional study from Egypt. J Community Health. 2020;45:1246-51.
• 34. Zhong Y, Liu W, Lee T, Zhao H, Ji J. Risk perception, knowledge, information sources and emotional states among COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China. Nurs Outlook. 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2020.08.005 35. Ikhlaq A, Bint-E-riaz H, Bashir I, Ijaz F. Awareness and attitude of undergraduate medical students towards 2019-novel corona virus. Pakistan J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):S32-6.
• 36. Aker S, Mıdık Ö. The views of medical faculty students in Turkey concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. J Community Health. 2020;45:684-88.
• 37. Alzoubi H, Alnawaiseh N, Al-Mnayyis A, Abu-Lubad M, Aqel A, Al-Shagahin H. Covid-19 - knowledge, attitude and practice among medical and non-medical university students in Jordan. J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2020;14:17-24.
• 38. Khasawneh AI, Humeidan AA, Alsulaiman JW, Bloukh S, Ramadan M, Al-Shatanawi TN, et al. Medical students and COVID-19: knowledge, attitudes, and precautionary measures. a descriptive study from Jordan. Front Public Heal. 2020;8:1-9.
• 39. Yakar B, Öztürk Kaygusuz T, Pi̇ri̇nçci̇ E, Önalan E, Erteki̇n Y. Knowledge, attitude and anxiety of medical students about the current COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey. Fam Pract Palliat Care. 2020;5:36-44.
• 40. Olum R, Kajjimu J, Kanyike AM, Chekwech G, Wekha G, Nassozi DR, et al. Perspective of medical students on the COVID-19 pandemic: survey of nine medical schools in Uganda. JMIR Public Heal Surveill. 2020;6:e19847.
• 41. Çalışkan F, Mıdık Ö, Baykan Z, Şenol Y, Çınar Tanrıverdi E, Tengiz Fİ, et al. The knowledge level and perceptions towards COVID-19 among Turkish final year medical students. Postgrad Med. 2020:1-9.
• 42. Paul G, Sharma S, Singh G, Singh G, Sharma S. Assessment of knowledge gaps and perceptions about COVID-19 among health care workers and general public-national cross-sectional study. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol 2020;36:337-44.
• 43. Allington D, Duffy B, Wessely S, Dhavan N, Rubin J. Health-protective behaviour, social media usage and conspiracy belief during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Psychological Medicine. 2020:1-7.
• 44. Parikh PA, Shah BV, Phatak AG, Vadnerkar AC, Uttekar S, Thacker N, et al. COVID-19 pandemic: knowledge and perceptions of the public and healthcare professionals. Cureus. 2020;12:e8144.