The Impact of Information Sources on COVID-19-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) among University Students: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study
Date
2021-11-26
Authors
Baker, Israa
Marzouqa, Nizar
Yaghi, Bashar Nafe’
Adawi, Samer Osama
Yousef, Shahd
Sabooh, Tayseer Nedal
Salhab, Nataly Mazen
Khrishi, Hiba Mahmoud
Qabaja, Yahya
Riad, Abanoub
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
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.
Description
Keywords
knowledge , information sources , information checking , COVID-19; Palestine