Knowledge, Attitude, and Nutritional Practice Related to COVID-19 in Students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Background: It has been known that healthy nutrition is important in increasing immunity and reducing diseases. Lack of some nutrients can lead to a decrease in the function of the immune system and, as a result, an increase in the probability of infections or their exacerbation. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19 in the students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The present descriptive and analytical study was conducted in 2022 on 350 students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The research tools included a demographic checklist and a questionnaire of knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19, used in a similar study. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 24 software using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 22.15±4.98 year.  The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and nutritional behavior of students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences regarding COVID-19 were 23.17 ±4.17, 18.04 ±3.29, and 41.64 ±7.16, respectively. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the knowledge score with the educational level and history of infection with COVID-19 and the nutritional practice score with the variable of history of infection with COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Also, there was a positive and significant correlation between Knowledge, attitude, and practice. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the studied students had a relatively good knowledge, attitude, and practice towards nutritional issues related to COVID-19; however, there is still room for improvement