Communicable Disease Risk Awareness and Prevention: A Study on University Students in the Context of Social Support...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Security
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Societal health and security are challenged by infectious diseases, global health crises, and disasters.
• University students are a key demographic for understanding and implementing effective public health measures.
• Risk awareness and informed protective behaviors are essential for managing health threats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess university students' awareness and prevention behaviors concerning communicable diseases.
• To examine students' perception of disaster risk.
• To investigate the influence of social support networks on health awareness and behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study involving 372 undergraduate students in Türkiye.
• Data collected using sociodemographic forms and validated scales for communicable disease risk, disaster risk perception, and social support.
• Statistical analysis included t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated high levels of communicable disease awareness and prevention behaviors.
• Key factors influencing awareness included gender, disaster risk perception, and information sources (health/news websites).
• Perceived social support and disaster risk perception positively correlated with communicable disease awareness and prevention.

Conclusions:

• Strong social support networks significantly improve students' health awareness and protective behaviors.
• Universities should implement educational programs and drills to bolster disaster awareness and preparedness among students.
• Enhanced preparedness enables students to better manage and respond to disaster situations.