Abdelkarim Suhaila, AlMarei Shahd Othman, Elyas Anas, Amri Rahaf Abdulaziz Ahmed, Khawaji Eithar Ali Mohammed, Khormi Ghadah Jubran Mohammed, Abujabir Ethar Ibrahim Mohammed, Othathi Rahaf Jabreil Hamad, Ali Abbas Khawlah Ali, Hayyan Rasha Dhaifallah Ahmad, Abdelmageed Maha Murtada, Abdelwahab Siddig Ibrahim
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical Research Centre, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2023 Feb;12(2):276-281. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1123_22. Epub 2023 Feb 28.
Many types of research have been published on the history of biological warfare, the agents used, and the medical implications. However, no studies measure how people are aware of the magnitude of these health problems and international threats. The present study aimed to produce and make background about biological warfare information for health college students to be used as a basis for future studies or research and prepare the hospitals' bases for similar disasters.
This observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among undergraduate students (N = 626) enrolled in health-related colleges at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. A preliminary survey of 30 participants was then undertaken to improve the questionnaire's understanding and validity. The questionnaire encompassed three primary sections, including (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) knowledge, and (3) awareness. Sociodemographic characteristics consisted of age, gender, college type, academic level, and specialty. All data were gathered using an online self-reported questionnaire using Google Forms and participants were recruited using a random sampling strategy.
The total participants were 626 students; 514 were females, whereas 112 were males. Knowledge and attitude indices were 3.8650 ± 0.48 and 4.06 ± 0.51 (maximum is 5). The indices showed variable statistical differences among sociodemographic factors. With adjusted and crude odds ratios of 0.53 and 0.54, attitude score is the sole significant ( = 0.05) predictor of knowledge as analyzed using logistic regression.
The results of the present study are the first of their kind in the region and can be used to shape public awareness among specialists and decision-makers, especially in light of the recent pandemic.
关于生物战的历史、所使用的制剂及其医学影响，已经发表了许多类型的研究。然而，没有研究衡量人们对这些健康问题和国际威胁的严重程度的认知情况。本研究旨在为健康专业的大学生制作并提供有关生物战的背景信息，以供未来研究或调查使用，并为医院应对类似灾难做好准备。
这项观察性、横断面、描述性研究在沙特阿拉伯吉赞大学健康相关专业的本科生（N = 626）中进行。随后对30名参与者进行了初步调查，以提高问卷的易懂性和有效性。问卷包括三个主要部分，即（1）社会人口学特征，（2）知识，以及（3）认知。社会人口学特征包括年龄、性别、学院类型、学术水平和专业。所有数据均通过使用谷歌表格的在线自填问卷收集，参与者采用随机抽样策略招募。
总共有626名学生参与；其中514名是女性，112名是男性。知识和态度指数分别为3.8650 ± 0.48和4.06 ± 0.51（满分5分）。这些指数在社会人口学因素之间显示出不同的统计学差异。经逻辑回归分析，态度得分是知识的唯一显著（P = 0.05）预测因素，调整后的和未调整的优势比分别为0.53和0.54。
本研究的结果在该地区尚属首次，可用于塑造专家和决策者的公众意识，尤其是鉴于近期的大流行情况。
