Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of College Students Regarding COVID-19 in Mashhad, Iran

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread throughout the world, including Iran. The main measures for preventing the spread of this disease are based on personal hygiene and observance of protocols such as social distancing. It is important for medical and non-medical students to be aware of this disease and how to face it. This study aims to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of medical and non-medical students in Mashhad, Iran against regarding COVID-19.

In this analytical cross-sectional study, 650 medical and non-medical students from Mashhad participated, 322 medical students and 328 non-medical students. Sampling was done online using a convenience method. The data collection tools were a demographic form  and a KAP questionnaire for COVID-19. Data analysis was performed in SPSS v. 21 software using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The mean knowledge scores of medical and non-medical students were 72.5% and 72.87%, respectively, which were not statistically significant (P=0.648). The mean attitude scores of medical and non-medical students were 76.89% and 75.95%, respectively, which was not statistically significant (P=0.297). The mean practice score of non-medical students (64.29%) was significantly higher than that of medical students (61.22%) (P=0.004).

The medical and non-medical students in Mashhad have a good level of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding COVID-19. The KAP tool used in this study can be used in future studies.