The Impact of Information Sources on COVID-19-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) among University Students: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Israa Baker, Nizar Marzouqa, Bashar Nafe’ Yaghi, Samer Osama Adawi, Shahd Yousef, Tayseer Nedal Sabooh, Nataly Mazen Salhab, Hiba Mahmoud Khrishi, Yahya Qabaja, Abanoub Riad, Elham Kateeb and Sameh Attia
Additional contact information
Israa Baker: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Nizar Marzouqa: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Bashar Nafe’ Yaghi: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Samer Osama Adawi: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Shahd Yousef: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Tayseer Nedal Sabooh: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Nataly Mazen Salhab: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Hiba Mahmoud Khrishi: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Yahya Qabaja: Al-Quds Medical Research Association, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Abanoub Riad: Department of Public Health, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Elham Kateeb: Oral Health Research and Promotion Unit, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 510 00, Palestine
Sameh Attia: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University, 353 92 Giessen, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus accompanied by a tsunami of misinformation and fake news. This can weaken the public health responses by affecting the COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the public. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was designed during the early stage of the pandemic to evaluate the KAP of Palestinian university students and their commonly used information sources. We found that the most trusted information source among students was the World Health Organization (WHO), followed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) briefings and healthcare workers, whereas social media was the most frequently used source of information. The participants exhibited a high level of COVID-19-related knowledge, having an average score of 8.65 (range: 0–10). In total, 76% avoided going to crowded places, and only 33% wore a mask while being outdoors. The vast majority (93%) checked the accuracy of COVID-19-related information before publishing it, 56% used the WHO and MoH briefings for fact-checking, and only 8% relied on healthcare workers. This was particularly the case for those who lived in refugee camps. This study provides an insight into the information sources used by Palestinian university students, the sources they trust, and the information formats they prefer. These results may help public health authorities to locate the information sources through which university students should be targeted. Efforts should be made to recommend healthcare workers as credible information sources. In this way, they will be able to prevent the spread of misleading information and provide high-quality information, especially within unconventional settings such as refugee camps.

Keywords: knowledge; information sources; information checking; COVID-19; Palestine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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