Knowledge, Attitudes, and Misconceptions About COVID-19 Prevention Practices Among High and Preparatory School Students in Dessie City, Ethiopia

Figures & data

Table 1 Social-Demographic Characteristics and Sources of Information about COVID-19 among High and Preparatory School Students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Independent Variable		Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Age	<18 years	254	60.9
	≥18 years	163	39.1
Sex	Male	161	38.6
	Female	256	61.4
Religion	Orthodox Christian	230	55.2
	Muslim	172	41.2
	Protestant	15	3.6
Grade	9^th	50	12.0
	10^th	115	27.6
	11^th	54	12.9
	12^th	198	47.5
Marital status	Single	402	96.4
	Married	15	3.6
Mother’s education status	Unable to read and write	16	3.8
	Able to read and write	22	5.3
	Primary	105	25.2
	Secondary	116	27.8
	College and above	158	37.9
Father’s education status	Unable to read and write	18	4.3
	Able to read and write	26	6.2
	Primary	58	13.9
	Secondary	127	30.5
	College and above	186	44.6
Mother’s occupation	Housewife	204	48.9
	Student	25	6.0
	Daily laborer	20	4.8
	Government employee	94	22.5
	Private employee	18	4.3
	Merchant	56	13.4
Father’s occupation	Daily laborer	33	7.9
	Farmer	32	7.7
	Government employee	141	33.8
	Private employee	105	25.2
	Merchant	106	25.4
Household size (persons)	≤ 5	222	53.2
	>5	195	46.8
Did you obtain IPC training?	Yes	190	45.6
	No	227	54.4

Figure 1 Source of Information about COVID-19 Prevention Measures among High and Preparatory School students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021.

Table 2 Knowledge of High and Preparatory School Students about COVID-19 Transmission and Prevention in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Knowledge Question	Response	Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Is COVID-19 transmitted by air droplets between people?	Yes	263	63.1
	No	154	36.9
Is COVID-19 transmitted by physical contact?	Yes	172	41.2
	No	245	58.8
Is COVID-19 transmitted by evil spirits?	Yes	61	14.6
	No	356	85.4
Are all people at risk of COVID-19?	Yes	277	66.4
	No	140	33.6
Can the virus be transferred by shaking hands?	Yes	381	91.4
	No	36	8.6
Can touching your nose, mouth, eyes with un washed hands transfer the virus?	Yes	391	93.8
	No	26	6.2
Can proper washing of hands for at-least 20 seconds with soap and water prevent COVID-19?	Yes	378	90.6
	No	39	9.4
Can rubbing of hands with alcohol- based sanitizer prevent transmission of COVID-19	Yes	383	91.8
	No	34	8.2
Is there a need to wash hands before and after touching any surface using water and soap or sanitizer?	Yes	392	94.0
	No	25	6.0
Can sneezing or coughing into your arm/elbow prevent the spread of the virus?	Yes	394	94.5
	No	23	5.5
Can staying at home decrease the chance of getting infected?	Yes	386	92.6
	No	31	7.4
Can distancing 2 meters between people prevent the transmission of COVID-19?	Yes	392	94
	No	25	6
Does wearing a face mask decrease the risk of transmission of COVID-19?	Yes	391	93.8
	No	26	6.2
Can cloth masks be reused after washing with soap and water?	Yes	382	91.6
	No	35	8.4
Avoiding crowded places reduces the transmission of corona virus	Yes	381	91.4
	No	36	8.6
Does wearing gloves replace the need for hand washing or use of alcohol -based hand sanitizer?	Yes	349	83.7
	No	68	16.3
Can isolating oneself if getting sick prevent the spread of the virus?	Yes	389	93.3
	No	28	6.7

Table 3 Attitudes of High and Preparatory School Students towards COVID-19 Prevention Practices in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Attitude Question	Response	Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Can the COVID-19 epidemic be controlled in Dessie?	Yes	351	84.2
	No	66	15.8
Do you think the epidemic can be controlled by people following all guidelines by the Ministry of Health?	Yes	335	80.3
	No	82	19.7
Do you think the epidemic can be controlled with drugs?	Yes	215	51.6
	No	202	48.4
Do you think the government should play a role in the prevention and control of COVID-19?	Yes	336	80.6
	No	81	19.4
Do you think the schools should play a central role in the prevention and control of COVID-19?	Yes	390	93.5
	No	27	6.5
Do you think each person should play a major role in the prevention and control of COVID-19?	Yes	294	70.5
	No	123	29.5
Do you think traditional medicine should be used in the prevention and control of COVID-19?	Yes	44	10.6
	No	373	89.4
Are prayers effective in preventing COVID-19?	Yes	312	74.8
	No	105	25.2
Do you think that you can contribute to preventing and controlling the COVID-19 epidemic?	Yes	368	88.2
	No	49	11.8
Do you believe that frequent hand washing damages skin and causes cracking, dryness, irritation and dermatitis?	Yes	212	50.8
	No	205	49.2
Do you believe you can protect yourself against COVID-19?	Yes	363	87.1
	No	54	12.9
Do you believe you have a very low risk of acquiring COVID-19 from others?	Yes	202	48.4
	No	215	51.6
Listening and following the direction of state and local authorities reduces COVID-19 transmission?	Yes	368	88.2
	No	49	11.6
Do you worry about contracting COVID-19?	Yes	246	59.0
	No	171	41.0
Do you think that the disease causes embarrassment or insult to infected persons or the relatives of students?	Yes	163	39.1
	No	254	60.9

Table 4 Misconceptions of High and Preparatory School Students About COVID- 19 Transmission and Prevention Practices in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Misconception Question	Response	Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Is traditional medicine effective for COVID-19?	Yes	94	22.5
	No	323	77.5
Will this virus outbreak end soon?	Yes	96	23.0
	No	321	77.0
Can eating garlic and mitmita prevent corona virus infection?	Yes	115	27.6
	No	302	72.4
Are females more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection than males?	Yes	74	17.7
	No	343	82.3
Are only older adults and younger people at greater risk for COVID-19 infection?	Yes	74	17.7
	No	343	82.3
Do you have to be with someone for 10 minutes or more to catch the virus?	Yes	80	19.2
	No	337	80.8
Does rinsing the nose with saline protect against coronavirus?	Yes	64	15.3
	No	353	84.7
Does frequent sipping of water protect from corona infection?	Yes	94	22.5
	No	323	77.5
Will the coronavirus die off when temperatures rise in the spring?	Yes	133	31.9
	No	284	68.1
Is the coronavirus the deadliest virus known to man?	Yes	286	68.6
	No	131	31.4
Do flu and pneumonia vaccines protect against COVID-19?	Yes	89	21.3
	No	328	78.7
Can vitamin C cure COVID-19?	Yes	88	21.1
	No	329	78.9
Does gargling with warm salt water or vinegar eliminate the coronavirus?	Yes	83	19.9
	No	334	80.1

Table 5 Bivariate Analysis of Knowledge of COVID-19 Associated with Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Sources of COVID-19 Information, Attitudes, and Misconceptions Among High and Preparatory School Students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Variable	Category	Knowledge		COR (95% CI)
		Good (n)	Poor (n)
Age	<18	182	72	1
	≥18	130	33	1.56 (0.98–2.49)
Sex	Male	124	46	1
	Female	188	59	1.18 (0.76–1.85)
Religion	Orthodox Christian	176	53	1.51 (0.50–4.54)
	Muslim	125	47	1.21 (0.40–3.67)
	Protestant	11	5	1
Grade	9^th	31	19	1
	10^th	81	34	1.46 (0.73–2.93)
	11^th	28	26	0.66 (0.30–1.44)
	12^th	172	26	4.06 (2.01–8.20)
Marital status	Single	304	98	1
	Married	8	7	0.37 (0.13–1.04)
Mother’s education status	Unable to read and write	9	7	1
	Able to read and write	15	7	1.67 (0.44–6.33)
	Primary	75	30	1.94 (0.66–5.70)
	Secondary	90	26	2.69 (0.91–7.93)
	College and above	123	35	2.73 (0.95–7.86)
Father’s educational status	Unable to read and write	12	6	1
	Able to read and write	19	7	1.36 (0.37–5.02)
	Primary	46	12	1.92 (0.59–6.16)
	Secondary	96	31	1.55 (0.54–4.47)
	College and above	138	48	1.44 (0.51–4.04)
Mother’s occupation	Housewife	152	52	1
	Student	14	11	0.44 (0.19–1.02)
	Daily laborer	13	7	0.64 (0.24–1.68)
	Government employee	71	24	0.99 (0.57–1.75)
	Private employee	12	5	0.89 (0.30–2.62)
	Merchant	50	6	2.85 (1.16–7.04)
Father’s occupation	Daily laborer	28	5	1
	Farmer	21	11	0.34 (0.10–1.13)
	Government employee	102	39	0.47 (0.17–1.30)
	Private employee	84	21	0.71 (0.25–2.07)
	Merchant	77	29	0.47 (0.17–1.35)
Household size (persons)	≤5	97	63	1
	>5	215	42	3.33 (2.1–5.26)
Get updated information from television	Yes	280	97	1.39 (0.62–3.11)
	No	32	8	1
Get updated information from radio	Yes	212	71	0.99 (0.61–1.58)
	No	100	34	1
Get updated information from face book	Yes	248	83	0.97 (0.57–1.68)
	No	64	22	1
Get updated information from social media	Yes	271	85	0.64 (0.36–1.16)
	No	41	20	1
Get updated information from World Health Organization	Yes	260	85	0.85 (0.48–1.50)
	No	52	20	1
Get updated information from Ethiopia Ministry of Health	Yes	272	94	1.26 (0.62–2.55)
	No	40	11	1
Get updated information from newspaper	Yes	127	41	0.93 (0.59–1.47)
	No	185	64	1
Get updated information from families/friends	Yes	299	96	0.83 (0.38–1.79)
	No	13	9	1
Received IPC training	Yes	154	36	0.54 (0. 34–0. 85)
	No	158	69	1
Overall Attitudes	Positive	208	43	2.88 (1.83–4.54)
	Negative	104	62	1
Overall Misconceptions	Less	183	51	0.67 (0.43–1.04)
	More	129	54	1

Note: 1, reference category.

Table 6 Multivariable Analysis of Knowledge and Socio-Demographic Characteristics with COVID-19 Prevention Practices among High and Preparatory School Students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Variable	Category	COR (95% CI)	AOR (95% CI)	p-value
Grade	9^th	1	1
	10^th	1.46 (0.73–2.93)	1.78 (0.84–3.76)	0.133
	11^th	0.66 (0.30–1.44)	0.91 (0.39–2.12)	0.826
	12^th	4.06 (2.01–8.20)	5.45 (2.55–11.67)	<0.001
Household size (persons)	≤5	1	1
	>5	3.33 (2.1–5.26)	3.30 (1.99–5.45)	<0.001
Attitude	Positive	2.88 (1.83–4.54)	2.69 (1.63–4.44)	<0.001
	Negative	1	1

Note: 1, reference category.

Table 7 Bivariate Analysis of Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Source of Information, Knowledge, and Misconceptions on COVID-19 with Attitudes among High and Preparatory School Students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Variable	Category	Attitude		COR (95% CI)
		Positive (n)	Negative (n)
Age	<18	153	101	1
	≥18	98	65	1.00 (0.67–1.49)
Sex	Male	106	64	1
	Female	145	102	0.86 (0.58–1.28)
	Orthodox Christian	129	100	0.77 (0.27–2.20)
	Muslim	112	60	1.12 (0.39–3.23)
	Protestant	10	6	1
Grade	9^th	33	17	1
	10^th	67	48	0.72 (0.36–1.44)
	11^th	29	25	0.59 (0.27–1.32)
	12^th	122	76	0.83 (0.43–1.59)
Marital status	Single	244	158	1
	Married	7	8	0.57 (0.20–1.59)
Mother’s education status	Unable to read and write	8	8	1
	Able to read write	16	6	2.67 (0.69–10.36)
	Primary	61	44	1.39 (0.48–3.98)
	Secondary	75	41	1.83 (0.64–5.23)
	College and above	91	67	1.36 (0.49–3.80)
Father’s education status	Unable to read and write	9	9	1
	Able to read and write	17	9	1.89 (0.55–6.45)
	Primary	36	22	1.64 (0.56–4.75)
	Secondary	78	49	1.59 (0.59–4.29)
	College and above	111	75	1.48 (0.56–3.90)
Mother’s occupation	Housewife	127	77	1
	Student	16	9	1.01 (0.45–2.56)
	Daily laborer	10	10	0.61 (0.24–1.52)
	Government employee	52	43	0.72 (0.44–1.18)
	Private employee	9	8	0.76 (0.29–2.00)
	Merchant	37	19	1.18 (0.63–2.19)
Father’s occupation	Daily laborer	22	11	1
	Farmer	17	15	0.57 (0.21–1.55)
	Government employee	76	65	0.59 (0.26–1.29)
	Private employee	63	42	0.75 (0.33–1.71)
	Merchant	73	33	1.11 (0.48–2.54)
Household size (persons)	≤5	81	79	1
	>5	170	87	1.91 (1.27–2.85)
Television as a source of information	Yes	230	147	0.71 (0.37–1.4)
	No	21	19	1
Radio as a source of information	Yes	165	118	1.28 (0.84–1.96)
	No	86	48	1
Facebook as a source of information	Yes	200	131	0.95 (0.59–1.55)
	No	51	35	1
Social media as a source of information	Yes	216	140	0.87 (0.50–1.51)
	No	35	26	1
World Health Organization as a source of information	Yes	212	133	0.74 (0.44–1.24)
	No	39	33	1
Ethiopia Ministry of Health as a source of information	Yes	218	148	1.25 (0.68–2.29)
	No	33	18	1
Newspaper as a source of information	Yes	98	70	1.14 (0.76–1.70)
	No	153	96	1
Families/friends as a source of information	Yes	230	152	1.00 (0.49–2.05)
	No	21	14	1
Received IPC training	Yes	128	62	1. 75 (1.17–2. 61)
	No	123	104	1
Overall Knowledge	Good	208	104	2.88 (1.83–4.54)
	Poor	43	62	1
Overall Misconceptions	Less	134	100	1.32 (0.89–1.97)
	More	117	66	1

Note: 1, reference category.

Table 8 Multivariable Analysis of Attitude and Socio-Demographic Characteristics among High and Preparatory School Students Towards COVID-19 Prevention Practices in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Variable	Category	COR (95% CI)	AOR (95% CI)
Household size (persons)	>5	1.91 (1.27–2.85)	1.56 (1.02–2.39)
	≤5	1	1
Received IPC training	Yes	1. 75 (1.17–2. 61)	1.64 (1.08–2.48)
	No	1	1
Knowledge	Good	2.88 (1.83–4.54)	2.55 (1.58–4.12)
	Poor	1	1
Misconceptions	Less	1.32 (0.89–1.97)	0.64 (0.42–0.97)
	More	1	1

Note: 1, reference category.

Table 9 Bivariate of Analysis of Misconceptions and Socio-Demographic Characteristics among High and Preparatory School Students Regarding COVID-19 Prevention Practices in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Variable	Category	Misconception		COR (95% CI)
		Less (n)	More (n)
Age	<18	129	125	1
	≥18	105	58	0.57 (0.38–0.85)
Sex	Male	88	82	1
	Female	146	101	0.74 (0.50–1.10)
Religion	Orthodox Christian	123	106	1.44 (0.51–4.08)
	Muslim	101	71	1.17 (0.41–3.37)
	Protestant	10	6	1
Grade	9	26	24	1
	10	65	50	0.83 (0.431.62)
	11	26	28	1.17 (0.54–2.52)
	12	117	81	0.75 (0.401.40)
Marital status	Single	224	178	1
	Married	10	5	0.63 (0.21–1.87)
Mother’s educational status	Unable to read and write	10	6	1
	Able to read and write	11	11	1.67 (0.45–6.19)
	Primary	59	46	1.30 (0.44–3.84)
	Secondary	62	54	1.45 (0.504.26)
	College and above	92	66	1.20 (0.41–3.45)
Father’s education status	Unable to read and write	7	11	1
	Able to read and write	14	12	2.27 (0.84–6.13)
	Primary	32	26	1.24 (0.54–2.83)
	Secondary	71	56	1.18 (0.65–2.13)
	College and above	110	76	1.14 (0.72–1.80)
Mother´s occupation	Housewife	115	89	1
	Student	14	11	1.02 (0.44–2.34)
	Daily laborer	11	9	1.06 (0.42–2.66)
	Government employee	50	44	1.14 (0.69–1.86)
	Private employee	13	5	0.49 (0.17–1.45)
	Merchant	31	25	1.04 (0.58–1.89)
Father´s occupation	Daily laborer	14	19	1
	Farmer	15	17	0.84 (0.31–2.22)
	Government employee	81	60	0.55 (0.25–1.18)
	Private employee	67	38	0.42 (0.19–0.93)
	Merchant	57	49	0.63 (0.29–1.39)
Household size (persons)	≤5	85	75	0.82 (0.55–1.22)
	>5	149	108	1
Television as a source of information	Yes	211	166	0.94 (0.49–1.82)
	No	23	17	1
Radio as a source of information	Yes	158	125	0.97 (0.64–1.46)
	No	76	58	1
Facebook as a source of information	Yes	187	144	1.08 (0.67–1.74)
	No	47	39	1
Social media as a source of information (Wifi internet etc.)	Yes	203	153	1.28 (0.75–2.21)
	No	31	30	1
World Health Organization as a source of information	Yes	197	148	1.26 (0.76–2.10)
	No	37	35	1
Ethiopia Ministry of Health as a source of information	Yes	207	159	1.16 (0.64–2.08)
	No	27	24	1
Newspaper as a source of information	Yes	97	71	1.12 (0.75–1.66)
	No	137	112	1
Families/friends as a source of information	Yes	215	167	1.08 (0.54–2.17)
	No	19	16	1
Knowledge	Good	183	129	1.50 (0.43–4.04)
	Poor	51	54	1
Attitude	Positive	134	117	0.75 (0.89–1.97)
	Negative	100	66	1

Table 10 Factors Associated with Misconceptions Regarding COVID-19 Prevention Practices from Multivariable Analysis of Socioeconomic Status, Source of Information, Knowledge, and Attitude Among High and Preparatory School Students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, March 2021

Variable	Category	Misconception		COR (95% CI)	AOR (95% CI)
		Less (n)	More (n)
Age	<18	129	125	1	1
	≥18	105	58	0.57 (0.38–0.85)	0.60 (0.40–0.90)
Received infection prevention and control (IPC) training	Yes	117	73	1.51 (1.02–2.23)	0.67 (0.44–0.99)
	No	117	110	1	1
Overall Attitude	Positive	134	117	0.75 (0.89–1.97)	1.58 (1.04–2.41)
	Negative	100	66	1	1

Note: 1, reference category.