Knowledge and Preventive Behavior Regarding COVID-19 among School-children in Saudi Arabia: A Regional Survey | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine | ||
| Article 1, Volume 88, Issue 1, July 2022, Pages 2280-2287 PDF (716.68 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| Author | ||
| Aisha Almutairi* | ||
| Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Introduction: COVID-19 is the fastest spreading viral infection because it is highly contagious in nature and asymptomatic carriers, therefore individuals of all age groups are at risk. Most of the children who got infected have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic but still can spread the infection to others. Aim: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and adoption of preventive behavioral practices regarding COVID 19 among school children in Saudi Arabia. Subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 336 school children (66.7% girls vs 33.3% boys) aging 7-12 years old in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the targeted students of primary schools. The questionnaire includes basic demographic data, knowledge of the potential sources of transmission and risk factors for infection, and preventive behavioral practices toward COVID-19. Results: The knowledge of the students regarding the potential sources of transmission and risk factors for infection were average, high, and low among 59.2%, 29.5%, and 11.3%, respectively. The level of preventive behavioral practices was high, average, and low among 48.5%, 38.4%, and 13.1%, respectively. The factor associated with increased knowledge was being aged 9 – 10 years old while the factor associated with increased preventive behavioral practices was being a female student. Conclusion: Most of the school children were knowledgeable about the mode of transmission and risk factors of COVID-19 infection. They are even more aware of the preventive behavior necessary to control the spread of the disease. Continuous awareness about COVID-19 prevention is necessary to control the transmission of infection. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| COVID-19; school children; knowledge; preventive behavior; transmission | ||
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