Knowledge, Attitude, and Nutritional Practice Related to COVID-19 in Students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

Ameneh Marzban; Payam Emami; Vahid Rahmanian; Saeed Sherafatmanesh; Mohsen Dowlati

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v8i3.13295

Ameneh Marzban Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Payam Emami Department of Emergency Medical Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
Vahid Rahmanian Department of Public Health, Torbat Jam Faculty of Medical Sciences, Torbat Jam, Iran;
Saeed Sherafatmanesh Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
Mohsen Dowlati Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v8i3.13295

Keywords: Knowledge; Attitude; Behavior; Nutrition; Students; COVID-19

Abstract

Background: It has been known that healthy nutrition is important in increasing immunity and reducing diseases. Lack of some nutrients can lead to a decrease in the function of the immune system and, as a result, an increase in the probability of infections or their exacerbation. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19 in the students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: The present descriptive and analytical study was conducted in 2022 on 350 students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The research tools included a demographic checklist and a questionnaire of knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19, used in a similar study. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 24 software using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Results: The mean age of the subjects was 22.15±4.98 year. The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and nutritional behavior of students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences regarding COVID-19 were 23.17 ±4.17, 18.04 ±3.29, and 41.64 ±7.16, respectively. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the knowledge score with the educational level and history of infection with COVID-19 and the nutritional practice score with the variable of history of infection with COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Also, there was a positive and significant correlation between Knowledge, attitude, and practice.

Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the studied students had a relatively good knowledge, attitude, and practice towards nutritional issues related to COVID-19; however, there is still room for improvement.