Effects of Population Knowledge, Perceptions, Attitudes, and Practices on COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control in NUST

Caitlin Bosch, Edwig Hauwanga, Beauty E. Omoruyi, Benjamin I. Okeleye, Vincent I. Okudoh and Yapo G. Aboua
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Caitlin Bosch: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia
Edwig Hauwanga: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia
Beauty E. Omoruyi: Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Benjamin I. Okeleye: Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Science, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Vincent I. Okudoh: Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Science, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Yapo G. Aboua: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-12

Abstract: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the education sector of most countries. One of the basic CDC prevention guidelines is the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to protect the health of students and staff members to curve the spread of COVID-19. The current study aimed to examine the knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and practices of students at the Namibia University of Technology toward the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted using a closed-ended questionnaire. Data were collected from full-time students who were on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic between 29 January to 14 February 2021. The average knowledge about the modes of transmission, protective measures, and clinical symptoms ranged from 78% to 96%. About 31% of student respondents believed the virus was created in a laboratory, and 47% believed the vaccine has negative side effects and therefore, refused to take it. The three main sources of information about COVID-19 were social media (75%), television (63%), and friends and family (50%). The students had an overall positive attitude towards the implementation of NPIs. However, the importance of vaccine safety must be emphasized. Lockdowns should be lifted gradually to reduce the amount of time students are spending on online content. Reopening of classrooms for face-to-face study will bring unquestionable benefits to students and the wider economy.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; knowledge; perception; attitude; infection prevention; control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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