Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Medical Students Regarding COVID-19 in Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Arash Nemat; Nahid Raufi; Mohammad Faiq Sediqi; Aziz Rahman Rasib; Abdullah Asady

doi:10.2147/RMHP.S308039

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Medical Students Regarding COVID-19 in Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021 Apr 13:14:1491-1497. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S308039. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Arash Nemat^{1

2}, Nahid Raufi^{3

4}, Mohammad Faiq Sediqi⁵, Aziz Rahman Rasib⁶, Abdullah Asady¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan.
² Department of Cardiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Dermatology, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan.
⁴ Department of Dermatology, Guangdong Provincial Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Department of Histology, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan.
⁶ Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus pandemic has had devastating effects on many nations, including Afghanistan. Public awareness and following recommendations play an important part in managing such a large-scale crisis, which are affected largely by knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). Medical students can act as reliable sources of information for the public in such a scenario. This study aimed to investigate KAP of medical students regarding COVID-19.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in October 2020 among medical students in Afghanistan, Kabul University of Medical Sciences. Information on sociodemographics and KAP, was collected using a web-based questionnaire.

Results: A total of 1,169 medical students completed the survey. More than half were female (54.6%), a majority (95%) aged ≥20 years, and more than half (56.2%) lived in the city of Kabul. Overall, students had acceptable KAP regarding COVID-19, except for a few undesirable responses with regard to the risks of close contact with COVID-19 patients, incubation periods, and groups vulnerable to COVID-19.

Conclusion: Overall, the students had acceptable KAP regarding COVID-19, except for the few undesired aforementioned responses, which need more focus during awareness campaigns in future.

Keywords: SARS-COV2; pandemic; public health; surveys and questionnaires.

Grants and funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.