Almalki Mohammed J, Alotaibi Amani A, Jabour Abdulrahman M, Elamin Ali, Hetany Wafa A, Adam Hamza Abdullah M, Moafa Hassan N, Alamer Ahmed S, Alsharif Anwar, Almalki Sami M
Department of Public Health, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Jazan University Hospital, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Front Public Health. 2025 Feb 27;13:1419891. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1419891. eCollection 2025.
The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants makes it difficult to forecast potential epidemiological changes. This study investigates Saudi citizens' perceptions of COVID-19 during the Omicron wave.
We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey and a convenience sample of 746 participants. The survey included questions about demographics, anxiety levels, and perception of COVID-19 during the Omicron wave.
Our findings revealed that 27.3% of the participants believed that COVID-19 cases would decrease, while 30.2% believed that cases would increase; the remaining 42.5% were uncertain. When asked about the primary reasons for expecting a rise in COVID-19 cases, the two most frequently cited causes were non-adherence to prevention measures (74.7%) and the high transmissibility of the virus (66.7%). Conversely, when asked about the primary reasons for expecting a decrease in COVID-19 cases, participants cited the availability of free vaccines (60.3%), government measures (59.9%), compliance with preventive measures (57.4%), and health awareness programs (44.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that anxiety about COVID-19 (AOR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.15-1.32) and education level (AOR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.11-2.25) were significant predictors of respondents' expectations of increases or decreases in COVID-19 cases ( < 0.05). Around 46.2% of participants were moderately to highly worried about the reinstatement of lockdowns, while 36.2% reported moderate to high levels of anxiety related to COVID-19. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that respondents who reported higher levels of worry about the reinstatement of lockdowns were 1.28 times more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety related to COVID-19 ( < 0.05). A few participants were hesitant to adhere to preventive measures because they had already been vaccinated or believed that COVID-19 was not real or severe. This hesitancy raises public health concerns, suggesting that some individuals may underestimate the risks associated with COVID-19 and future pandemics.
This study provides valuable insights into how Saudi citizens perceived COVID-19 during the Omicron wave. Understanding these perceptions can guide the development of public health policies, optimize resource allocation, help control the potential transmission of viral variants, and enhance preparedness for future pandemics.
新型严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）变体的出现使得预测潜在的流行病学变化变得困难。本研究调查了沙特公民在奥密克戎毒株流行期间对2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的认知。
我们采用在线调查的方式进行了一项横断面研究，便利样本为746名参与者。该调查包括有关人口统计学、焦虑水平以及在奥密克戎毒株流行期间对COVID-19的认知等问题。
我们的研究结果显示，27.3%的参与者认为COVID-19病例将会减少，而30.2%的参与者认为病例将会增加；其余42.5%的人不确定。当被问及预计COVID-19病例增加的主要原因时，最常被提及的两个原因是不遵守预防措施（74.7%）和病毒的高传播性（66.7%）。相反，当被问及预计COVID-19病例减少的主要原因时，参与者提到了免费疫苗的可获得性（60.3%）、政府措施（59.9%）、遵守预防措施（57.4%）以及健康意识项目（44.1%）。多因素逻辑回归分析表明，对COVID-19的焦虑（比值比[AOR]=1.23，95%置信区间[CI]：1.15 - 1.32）和教育水平（AOR=1.58，95%CI：1.11 - 2.25）是受访者对COVID-19病例增加或减少预期的显著预测因素（P<0.05）。约46.2%的参与者对恢复封锁措施有中度至高度担忧，而36.2%的人报告与COVID-19相关的焦虑水平为中度至高度。有序逻辑回归分析显示，对恢复封锁措施担忧程度较高的受访者出现与COVID-19相关的较高焦虑水平的可能性高1.28倍（P<0.05）。一些参与者对遵守预防措施犹豫不决，因为他们已经接种了疫苗，或者认为COVID-19不是真的或不严重。这种犹豫不决引发了公共卫生方面的担忧，表明一些人可能低估了与COVID-19及未来大流行相关的风险。
本研究为沙特公民在奥密克戎毒株流行期间如何看待COVID-19提供了有价值的见解。了解这些认知可以指导公共卫生政策的制定，优化资源分配，有助于控制病毒变体的潜在传播，并加强对未来大流行的防范。
