Nursing Students' Perceptions, Knowledge, and Preventive Behaviors Toward COVID-19: A Multi-University Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Effective educational interventions for the COVID-19 pandemic require understanding knowledge, perceptions, and preventive behaviors.
• Assessing these factors among student nurses is crucial for pandemic preparedness and risk communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the knowledge, perceptions, and preventive behaviors related to COVID-19 among student nurses in Saudi Arabia.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study.
• Online survey administered to 1,226 student nurses across seven Saudi universities (March 22 - April 4, 2020).
• Survey covered demographics, perceptions, knowledge, and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19.

Main Results:

• High awareness (99.2%) of COVID-19, with social media as the primary information source (71.0%).
• Strong confidence in government (89.1%) and Ministry of Health (86.5%) response.
• Average knowledge score of 82.1%; majority practiced most preventive behaviors, with exceptions in handwashing (39.2%) and surface disinfection (41.6%).
• Female gender, fourth-year status, and perceived knowledge were linked to higher actual COVID-19 knowledge.

Conclusions:

• Provides baseline data on Saudi nursing students' COVID-19 knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors during the pandemic.
• Identifies specific areas for improvement in nursing education and health agency interventions, particularly concerning consistent hand hygiene and disinfection practices.