Department of Epidemiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia.
Department of Reproductive Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia.
PLoS One. 2021 Sep 20;16(9):e0257609. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257609. eCollection 2021.
The widespread use of face masks by the general public may help to prevent the spread of viruses. Face masks are thought to be a good strategy to protect against respiratory diseases such as the Coronavirus. Identifying student knowledge, attitude, and practice about the use of face masks is crucial to detect vulnerabilities and respond rapidly to avoid the spread of the infection. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices of face mask utilization and associated factors in the COVID-19 pandemic among college students.
A cross-sectional study was performed from February to March 2021 among 764 students from Wachemo University, Southern Ethiopia. A multistage sampling technique was used in the study. The sample size for each department was allocated in proportion to the number of students in that department, and each respondent was chosen using a simple random sampling procedure. Data were collected using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 26. To predict the relationship between the predictor and outcome variables, a logistic regression model was used. At a p-value of 0.05, statistical significance was declared.
The study showed that the overall knowledge of the students was 223 (29.2%), their attitude was 673 (88.1%), and their practice was 684 (89.5%). The students from the college natural and computational sciences (AOR: 0.23; 95%CI: 0.13, 0.40) and students having good knowledge (AOR = 4.40; 95%CI; 2.13, 9.14) were found to be independently associated with face mask utilization.
When compared to other researches, the knowledge about the usage of face masks in this study was low, but the attitudes and practices were high. Authorities in areas that are in danger of a COVID-19 pandemic should plan and implement public awareness and education initiatives.
公众广泛使用口罩可能有助于防止病毒传播。口罩被认为是预防冠状病毒等呼吸道疾病的一种好策略。识别学生对口罩使用的知识、态度和实践情况对于发现漏洞至关重要，以便迅速做出反应，避免感染的传播。本研究旨在确定在 COVID-19 大流行期间大学生对面罩使用的知识、态度和实践情况及其相关因素。
2021 年 2 月至 3 月期间，在埃塞俄比亚南部 Wachemo 大学对 764 名学生进行了横断面研究。该研究采用多阶段抽样技术。为每个系分配了与该系学生人数成比例的样本量，每个受访者都通过简单随机抽样程序选择。使用预先测试的自我管理问卷收集数据，并使用 SPSS 版本 26 进行分析。为了预测预测变量和结果变量之间的关系，使用了逻辑回归模型。在 p 值为 0.05 时，宣布具有统计学意义。
研究表明，学生的总体知识水平为 223 人（29.2%），态度水平为 673 人（88.1%），实践水平为 684 人（89.5%）。来自学院自然和计算科学系的学生（AOR：0.23；95%CI：0.13，0.40）和知识良好的学生（AOR = 4.40；95%CI；2.13，9.14）被发现与口罩使用独立相关。
与其他研究相比，本研究对面罩使用知识的了解较低，但态度和实践水平较高。处于 COVID-19 大流行危险地区的当局应计划和实施公众意识和教育计划。
