Saudi Children’s Level of Awareness about COVID-19 : A Cross-Sectional Study

Al-Nafeesah , Abdullah S.

doi:10.12816/0058985

Article Details

Saudi Children’s Level of Awareness about COVID-19 : A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors:

Al-Nafeesah , Abdullah S.

Publisher:

Al Jouf University

Main Topics:

Medicine

Journal:

Aljouf University Medical Journal 2021 Vol.8 Issue 2, pp.19-26

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2021

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

238687

Frequency:

Quarterly

pISSN:

16586700

DOI:

10.12816/0058985

Descriptors:

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted people’s behavior, which is influenced by their awareness of the disease. This awareness includes their knowledge about precautions and protective measures aimed to protect themselves and their dependents. Since children perceive knowledge and process data differently from adults, understanding the effects of the pandemic on children, especially concerning their knowledge gaps about the disease, is important to help them avoid getting infected with COVID-19.
Objectives: To evaluate Saudi children’s awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants and Methods: A web-based, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between May 6 and May 30, 2020. The study included children between 6 and 14 years of age who lived in Saudi Arabia. A previously used online questionnaire was adopted, and each correct answer was valued at 10%. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: 1) characteristics of the parent/guardian (age, education level, place of residence, monthly income, type of housing), 2) characteristics of the children (age, gender, school performance level), and 3) questions related to the children’s awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children who scored ≥60% were considered as having good awareness. Chi-square test was used to determine the significance of the categorical variables.
Results: The study included 1,353 participants; 50% of the participants were female, 43.82% were between 6 and 8 years old, and 75% had excellent school performance. The guardians of 66% of the children were mothers/female guardians. In total, 71% of the parents/guardians had bachelor’s degrees. The majority of the participants (80.84%) resided in the central region of Saudi Arabia. The children’s COVID-19 awareness score was 85.07%, which indicated a high level of awareness. Most of the children (92%) were aware that COVID-19 is caused by a virus. Furthermore, 91% of the children were aware that they should protect themselves by not shaking hands with others; 74% believed that they should wear a face mask when going out, even if they did not have symptoms; and 93% believed that they should not go to crowded places. The parents/guardians’ age was significantly and positively associated with the children’s awareness (P = 0.004), while the parents/guardians’ level of education was not (P = 0.281). A higher family income was associated with a higher level of awareness (up to 89.86%), but the association was not statistically significant (P = 0.074). The children’s gender was also not significantly associated with better awareness, although the male children had better awareness scores (86.44%; P = 0.161). Increased age of the children was significantly associated with better awareness (P <0.001).
Conclusions: The participating Saudi children had a good level of awareness about COVID-19. Furthermore, male and older children had better awareness compared to the other children. The children’s awareness was also significantly impacted by their parents/guardians’ age and income levels

Article Details

Saudi Children’s Level of Awareness about COVID-19 : A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors:

Al-Nafeesah , Abdullah S.

Publisher:

Al Jouf University

Main Topics:

Medicine

Journal:

Aljouf University Medical Journal 2021 Vol.8 Issue 2, pp.19-26

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2021

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

238687

Frequency:

Quarterly

pISSN:

16586700

DOI:

10.12816/0058985

Descriptors:

CORONAVIRUS

KNOWLEDGE

EPIDEMICS

CHILDREN

SAUDI ARABIA

COVID-19

Children

Knowledge

Awareness

Pandemic

Saudi Arabia

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Al-Nafeesah , Abdullah S.

Publisher: Al Jouf University

Main Topics: Medicine

Journal: Aljouf University Medical Journal 2021 Vol.8 Issue 2, pp.19-26

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2021

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 238687

Frequency: Quarterly

pISSN: 16586700

DOI: 10.12816/0058985

Descriptors:

Issues

Authors:

Al-Nafeesah , Abdullah S.

Publisher:

Al Jouf University

Main Topics:

Medicine

Journal:

Aljouf University Medical Journal 2021 Vol.8 Issue 2, pp.19-26

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2021

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

238687

Frequency:

Quarterly

pISSN:

16586700

DOI:

10.12816/0058985