Assessing knowledge, perception, and source of information about Covid-19 among HAW Hamburg students

Abstract

Introduction: An emerging outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the pathogen called SARS-CoV-2, previously known as 2019-nCoV which originated from Wuhan in China and has now spread to more than 100 countries, as of March 23, 2020(1). As several Countries prepare to go on lockdown, health authorities have already initiated awareness and preparedness programs globally. Poor knowledge, perception or misinformation of the public may result in the rapid spread of the infection. The study aims to investigate the association that exists between the source of information, knowledge, and perception. Method: This research project adopted a Cross-sectional study design using online survey questionnaires to obtain data from HAW Hamburg students. The distribution of baseline characteristics is described by varying questionnaires. The chi-square test was used to investigate the level of association between study parameters. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, SAS 9.4 was used for analysis. Results: Out of 1017 participants, 959 students completed the survey (94.3% response rate), with a total of 383(39.9%) male, 571(59.5%) female students, including 5(0.5%) genderdiverse students. Most respondents were < 30 years of age (n = 748, 78.0%), bachelor students (n = 682, 71.1%), and in the second semester (n = 172, 17.9%). Respondents(n=590, 80%) with reliable sources of information were more likely to agree or strongly agree to cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing compared to respondents (n=159, 72%) who got their information from unreliable sources(p=0.015). Generally, there was no statistical evidence to suggest any impact of knowledge(Causative agent) versus sources of information (p=0.078) or knowledge(causative agent) versus perception (about covering of mouth when coughing or sneezing)(p=0.923). Conclusion: The study reveals that the protective actions taken by individuals against COVID-19 are influenced by their source of information. Thus, the need to widen a reliable source of information becomes an issue of both national and international concern.