Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita City, Osaka, Japan.
The Faculty of Psychology, Kobe Gakuin University, Kobe, Japan.
PLoS One. 2020 Dec 21;15(12):e0244350. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244350. eCollection 2020.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly altered peoples' daily lives, and it continues spreading as a crucial concern globally. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward COVID-19 are related to individuals' adherence to government measures. This study evaluated KAP toward COVID-19 among university students in Japan between May 22 and July 16, 2020, via an online questionnaire, and it further investigated the associated determining KAP factors. Among the eligible respondents (n = 362), 52.8% were female, 79.0% were undergraduate students, 32.9% were students whose major university subjects were biology-related, 35.4% were from the capital region, and 83.7% were Japanese. The overall KAP of university students in Japan was high. All respondents (100%) showed they possessed knowledge on avoiding enclosed spaces, crowded areas, and close situations. Most respondents showed a moderate or higher frequency of washing their hands or wearing masks (both at 96.4%). In addition, 68.5% of respondents showed a positive attitude toward early drug administration. In the logistic regressions, gender, major subjects, education level, nationality, residence, and psychological factors (private self-consciousness and extroversion) were associated with knowledge or attitudes toward COVD-19 (p < 0.05). In the logistic and multiple linear regressions, capital regions, high basic knowledge, high information acquisition, correct information explanations contributed positively to preventative action (p < 0.05). Non-capital regions, male gender, non-bio-backgrounds, high public self-consciousness, high advanced knowledge, incorrect information explanations, and high extroversion contributed negatively to self-restraint (p < 0.05). Moreover, self-restraint was decreasing over time. These findings clarify the Japanese university students' KAP and the related factors in the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they may help university managers, experts, and policymakers control the future spread of COVID-19 and other emerging infections.
新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行极大地改变了人们的日常生活，它继续在全球范围内传播，成为一个重要的关注点。人们对 COVID-19 的知识、态度和行为（KAP）与个人对政府措施的遵守程度有关。本研究于 2020 年 5 月 22 日至 7 月 16 日期间，通过在线问卷评估了日本大学生对 COVID-19 的 KAP，并进一步调查了相关的 KAP 决定因素。在合格的受访者（n = 362）中，52.8%为女性，79.0%为本科生，32.9%的专业与生物相关，35.4%来自首都圈，83.7%为日本人。日本大学生的整体 KAP 较高。所有受访者（100%）均表示他们了解避免封闭空间、拥挤场所和密切接触的知识。大多数受访者表示经常洗手或戴口罩（均为 96.4%）。此外，68.5%的受访者对早期药物治疗持积极态度。在逻辑回归中，性别、专业、教育程度、国籍、居住地和心理因素（自我意识和外向性）与对 COVID-19 的知识或态度有关（p < 0.05）。在逻辑和多元线性回归中，首都圈、基础知识高、信息获取高、正确信息解释对预防措施有积极影响（p < 0.05）。非首都圈、男性、非生物背景、高公共自我意识、高先进知识、错误信息解释和高外向性对自我约束有负面影响（p < 0.05）。此外，自我约束随着时间的推移而减少。这些发现阐明了 COVID-19 大流行早期日本大学生的 KAP 及其相关因素，这可能有助于大学管理者、专家和政策制定者控制 COVID-19 和其他新发传染病的未来传播。
