Understanding knowledge and behaviors related to the Covid-19 epidemic in medical students in Morocco
,
Abstract
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is accompanied with increasing morbidity and mortality and has impacted the lives of people worldwide. Health care personnel including medical school students are at high risk of exposure and transmission of the coronavirus, hence the interest in studying knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19 to have protection for themselves, their work colleagues.
Materials and Methods: descriptive cross-sectional study in November 2021 among medical students, conducted by a self-administered questionnaire, cluster sampling stratified on years of study was performed.
Result: 300 students responded with a 75% response rate, with a mean age of 21.3 ± 1.4 years. About 85% of the respondents had good knowledge (GK) and 106 (35.3%) had good practice (GP) using thresholds of 85% and 77% in each case. To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, 76.7% of the study participants improved their regular hand washing, and 94.7% of them used a face mask since the outbreak; There was a significant difference between hand washing with soap and water and COVID infection. The prevalence of anti-coronavirus vaccination was 87.7%, CI= [83.4-90.9].
conclusion, medical students showed a satisfactory level of knowledge and adherence to the recommendations for protection against COVID-19 by following appropriate strategies for preventing its spread.
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[2] Kannan S, Ali PSS, Sheeza A, Hemalatha K. COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus 2019) – recent trends 2019:6.
[3] Forni G, Mantovani A. COVID-19 vaccines: where we stand and challenges ahead. Cell Death Differ 2021;28:626–39. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41418-020-00720-9.
[4] Huynh G, Nguyen MQ, Tran TT, Nguyen VT, Nguyen TV, Do THT, et al. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding COVID-19 Among Chronic Illness Patients at Outpatient Departments in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2020;13:1571–8. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S268876.
[5] Alshammari TM, Altebainawi AF, Alenzi KA. Importance of early precautionary actions in avoiding the spread of COVID-19: Saudi Arabia as an Example. Saudi Pharm J SPJ 2020;28:898–902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2020.05.005.
[6] Bazaid AS, Aldarhami A, Binsaleh NK, Sherwani S, Althomali OW. Knowledge and practice of personal protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia. PloS One 2020;15:e0243695. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243695.
[7] Imran E, Khurshid Z, Adanir N, Ashi H, Almarzouki N, Baeshen HA. Dental Practitioners’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practices for Mouthwash Use Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2021;14:605–18. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S287547.
[8] Aldarhami A, Bazaid AS, Althomali OW, Binsaleh NK. Public Perceptions and Commitment to Social Distancing “Staying-at-Home” During COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey in Saudi Arabia. Int J Gen Med 2020;Volume 13:677–86. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S269716.
[9] Chan JF-W, Kok K-H, Zhu Z, Chu H, To KK-W, Yuan S, et al. Genomic characterization of the 2019 novel human-pathogenic coronavirus isolated from a patient with atypical pneumonia after visiting Wuhan. Emerg Microbes Infect 2020;9:221–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2020.1719902.
[10] Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet Lond Engl 2020;395:497–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5.
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[13] Almutairi KM, Al Helih EM, Moussa M, Boshaiqah AE, Saleh Alajilan A, Vinluan JM, et al. Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Coronavirus Pandemic Among Public in Saudi Arabia. Fam Community Health 2015;38:332–40. https://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000082.
[14] Kobayashi M, Beer KD, Bjork A, Chatham-Stephens K, Cherry CC, Arzoaquoi S, et al. Community Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Ebola Virus Disease - Five Counties, Liberia, September-October, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2015;64:714–8.
[15] Desrues T. Chronologie Maroc 2020. L’Année Maghreb 2022:267–8. https://doi.org/10.4000/anneemaghreb.10379.
[16] Consolo U, Bellini P, Bencivenni D, Iani C, Checchi V. Epidemiological Aspects and Psychological Reactions to COVID-19 of Dental Practitioners in the Northern Italy Districts of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17:E3459. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103459.
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[18] Peng Y, Pei C, Zheng Y, Wang J, Zhang K, Zheng Z, et al. A cross-sectional survey of knowledge, attitude and practice associated with COVID-19 among undergraduate students in China. BMC Public Health 2020;20:1292. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09392-z.
[19] 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 Health 2020;8:253. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00253.
[20] Ashley N. Plaster, Julia E. Painter, Dylan H. Tjersland. University Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Sources of Information About Zika Virus - PubMed n.d. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29318503/ (accessed August 4, 2022).
[21] Jairoun A, Hassan N, Ali A, Jairoun O, Shahwan M. Knowledge, attitude and practice of antibiotic use among university students: a cross sectional study in UAE. BMC Public Health 2019;19:518. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6878-y.
[22] Maggie B, Benjamin B. Hayes, Jean Jacques Maury. Evaluation of Medical Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Personal Practices of Sun Protection and Skin Self-examination | Cancer Screening, Prevention, Control | JAMA Dermatology | JAMA Network n.d. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/403902 (accessed August 4, 2022).
[23] Person B, Sy F, Holton K, Govert B, Liang A, Garza B, et al. Fear and Stigma: The Epidemic within the SARS Outbreak. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10:358–63. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1002.030750.
[24] Habib MA, Dayyab FM, Iliyasu G, Habib AG. Knowledge, attitude and practice survey of COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Nigeria. PloS One 2021;16:e0245176. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245176.
[25] Alfahan A, Alhabib S, Abdulmajeed I, Rahman S, Bamuhair S. In the era of corona virus: health care professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice of hand hygiene in Saudi primary care centers: a cross-sectional study. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect 2016;6:10.3402/jchimp.v6.32151. https://doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v6.32151.
[26] Commissioner O of the. Comirnaty and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. FDA 2022.
[27] Commissioner O of the. Spikevax and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. FDA 2022.
[28] EMA. Comirnaty. Eur Med Agency 2020. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/comirnaty (accessed August 5, 2022).
[29] EMA. Spikevax (previously COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna). Eur Med Agency 2021. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/spikevax (accessed August 5, 2022).
[30] Jarso G, Gebi W, Abdo M, Lemma M, Abebe E, Lemessa B, et al. Prevalence of COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects among Early-Vaccinated Healthcare Workers in Eastern Ethiopia. Ethiop J Health Sci 2022;32:473–84. https://doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v32i3.2.
[31] Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Reactions & Adverse Events | CDC 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/reactogenicity.html (accessed August 5, 2022).
[32] Voysey M, Clemens SAC, Madhi SA, Weckx LY, Folegatti PM, Aley PK, et al. Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK. Lancet Lond Engl 2021;397:99–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32661-1.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 9 No 3 (2023) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/jbe.v9i3.15443 | |
| Keywords | ||
| knowledge Attitude COVID-19 Medical student Vaccination | ||
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How to Cite
1.
BERRAMI hind, Serhier Z, Jallal M. Understanding knowledge and behaviors related to the Covid-19 epidemic in medical students in Morocco. JBE. 2023;9(3):287-297.
