Attitudes regarding COVID-19 infection among students of the University of Split School of Medicine

Ciljevi: Ovo istraživanje procjenjivalo je stavove i znanje studenata Medicinskog fakulteta u Splitu o COVID-19 infekciji. Materijali i metode: Presječno istraživanje je provedeno tijekom svibnja 2020. godine putem internetskog upitnika. Upitnik se sastojao od 50 pitanja podijeljenih u pet dijelova, kojim se ispitivalo znanje i stavovi 344 ispitanika (189 studenata medicine, 155 dentalne medicine) o COVID-19. Statistička analiza je provedena pomoću Mann-Whitney-evog ili Kruskal Wallis 1-way ANOVA testa. Rezultati: Znanje studenata se procijenilo brojem točnih odgovora, a najviši broj bodova je 17. Od ukupnog broja ispitanika, njih 49 (14,2 %) točno je odgovorilo na sva postavljena pitanja. Nadalje, 85,5 % ima dobro znanje o COVID-19 infekciji. Ispitanici nisu pokazali razliku u znanju ovisno o spolu (P = 0,169) i dobi (P = 0,260), ali su pokazali ovisno o vrsti studija kojeg pohađaju (P ≤ 0,001). Medijan odgovora na pitanja iz znanja o COVID-19 je za sve studente medicine bio 16 (14,50-16), a dentalne medicine 15 (14-16). Studenti prvih godina studija pokazali su lošije znanje u odnosu na ostale godine (P = 0,006). Tijekom prvog ograničenja kretanja studenti su izbjegavali nepotrebno napuštati dom (92,2 %) i koristiti javni prijevoz (99,1 %). Prali su ruke toplom vodom i sapunom u trajanju od 20 sekundi (96,2 %), izbjegavali su bliske kontakte (91,9 %), te su nosili masku (70,1 %) ili rukavice (52,9 %). Nema razlike u znanju ispitanika ovisno o njihovom ponašanju tijekom ograničenja kretanja. Svega se 11,0 % ispitanika bojalo za svoje zdravlje, dok se njih 58,1 % bojalo za zdravlje članova svoje obitelji. Zaključak: Istraživanje je pokazalo kako ispitanici imaju dobro znanje i pozitivne stavove o COVID-19 bolesti. Budući da je većina ispitanika navela da na studiju nije prošla edukaciju o mjerama zaštite i prevencije vezano uz COVID-19 infekciju, preporučuje se pokrenuti edukaciju.Objectives: This questioner – based online study has assessed attitudes and knowledge among students of the University of Split School of Medicine. Materials and methods: This cross – sectional study has been conducted during May 2020 via Internet questionnaire. The knowledge and attitudes about COVID-19 of 344 examinee (189 students of the School of Medicine, 155 students of Dental Medicine) have been assessed through 50 questions divided into five sections. Statistical analysis has been conducted by Mann – Whitney or Kruskal Wallis 1 – way ANOVA test. Results: The level of students’ knowledge has been assessed by the number of correct answers, while the highest score was 17. Forty-nine students (14.2%) have given all the correct answers. Furthermore, 85.5% have good knowledge about COVID–19 infection. There is no significant difference among students regarding gender (P = 0.169) and age (P = 0.260), but the kind of school they attend had an important role (P ≤ 0.001). Median value of answers to questions about COVID–19 was for all students of the School of Medicine 16 (14.50-16), while for the students of Dental Medicine it was 15 (14 – 16). The results of the first-year students have been worse compared to others (P = 0.006). During the first lockdown students avoided leaving their homes unnecessarily (92.2%) and using public transport (99.1%). They washed hands using warm water and soap for 20 seconds (96.2%) and wore masks (70.1%) or gloves (52.9%). There is no difference in the examinees’ knowledge regarding their behavior during the lockdown. Only 11.0% examinees were concerned about their health, while 58.1% was concerned about the health of their family members. Conclusion: This study has shown that examinees have good knowledge and positive attitudes towards COVID–19 disease. Since the majority of examinees mentioned that they hadn’t been educated about the protection and prevention regarding COVID–19 infection, educational campaign is recommended