Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia.
Department of General Surgery, National Guard Hospital, Eastern Province 34217, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 19;18(2):842. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020842.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is an international public health threat. This study aimed to evaluate COVID-19-related knowledge, preventive behaviors, and risk perception among Saudi Arabian medical students and interns.
This cross-sectional study was conducted among fourth- and fifth-year medical students and interns between June and August 2020 at three colleges of medicine in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. A previously validated questionnaire was distributed as an online survey.
The total mean knowledge score was 12.5/15 points; 83.9% achieved a high score. The mean score of self-reported preventive behavior was 8.40; 94.1% achieved a high score. The overall mean risk perception score was 5.34/8 points; 31.6% achieved a high score.
Medical students assessed in this study displayed sufficient knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and an average level of risk perception. Lower scores by younger medical students suggest that they must improve their COVID-19 knowledge and risk perception, as they are a potential source of health information in their communities.
冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行是国际公共卫生威胁。本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯医学生和实习医生的 COVID-19 相关知识、预防行为和风险感知。
这项横断面研究于 2020 年 6 月至 8 月在沙特阿拉伯盖西姆地区的三所医学院对四、五年级医学生和实习医生进行。使用先前验证的问卷进行在线调查。
总平均知识得分为 12.5/15 分；83.9%的人得分较高。自我报告的预防行为的平均得分为 8.40；94.1%的人得分较高。总体平均风险感知得分为 5.34/8 分；31.6%的人得分较高。
在这项研究中评估的医学生对 COVID-19 大流行表现出充足的知识和预防行为，以及平均水平的风险感知。年轻医学生的较低分数表明，他们必须提高 COVID-19 知识和风险感知，因为他们是社区中潜在的健康信息来源。
