James Batholomew Chibuike, Mary Aroh Chinazaekpere, Emeka Anyiam Felix, Ede Sunday Stephen, Chullapant Kanokwan, Chidimma Nwankwo, Michael Uhuo Ikechuwu
Public Health Program, School of Professional Studies, Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines.
Royal Berkshire NHS, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom.
Acta Med Philipp. 2023 May 29;57(5):96-105. doi: 10.47895/amp.vi0.4453. eCollection 2023.
Youths can function as agents of change by disseminating essential information, but they are also considered a vulnerable group in the COVID-19 pandemic. Literature on COVID-related knowledge, attitude, and anxiety has not focused comprehensively on youths. This study assesses the knowledge, attitudes, and anxiety level of youths in eastern Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using an online survey among young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years in southeastern Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 software. We used descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to measure the associations. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant at a 95 percent confidence level.
We included 397 participants. Majority of the study participants (88%) had a high level of knowledge about COVID-19. Around 68% showed a good attitude toward COVID-19 prevention, overall low anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic was proportionally higher at 57.43%. Knowledge and educational level were statistically significantly associated with anxiety levels related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The young adults had a good knowledge of the COVID-19 transmission and symptoms, positive attitude, and low anxiety levels. Those with higher educational levels had good knowledge and lower anxiety level. Public health and mental health experts can use this material to help reduce high levels of anxiety among the vulnerable population affected by the pandemic.
青少年可以通过传播重要信息成为变革的推动者，但在新冠疫情中他们也被视为弱势群体。关于新冠相关知识、态度和焦虑的文献尚未全面关注青少年。本研究评估了新冠疫情期间尼日利亚东部青少年的知识、态度和焦虑水平。
我们在新冠疫情期间对尼日利亚东南部18至35岁的年轻人进行了一项在线调查，采用描述性横断面研究。我们使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）25版软件分析数据。我们使用描述性统计、卡方检验以及二元和多元逻辑回归分析来衡量相关性。在95%的置信水平下，p值<0.05被认为具有统计学意义。
我们纳入了397名参与者。大多数研究参与者（88%）对新冠病毒有较高的认知水平。约68%的人对新冠病毒预防表现出良好的态度，与新冠疫情相关的总体低焦虑比例较高，为57.43%。知识和教育水平与新冠疫情相关的焦虑水平在统计学上有显著关联。
年轻人对新冠病毒的传播和症状有良好的认知，态度积极，焦虑水平较低。教育水平较高的人知识水平较好且焦虑水平较低。公共卫生和心理健康专家可以利用这些资料帮助减少受疫情影响的弱势群体中的高度焦虑。
