Infect Chemother.  2021 Mar;53(1):107-117. 10.3947/ic.2020.0152.

The Levels of COVID-19 Related Health Literacy among University Students in Vietnam

• Duong MC
• Nguyen HT
• Duong BT
• Vu MT

• KMID: 2514838
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2020.0152

Abstract

Background
Vietnam is among the few countries that were successful in the fight against the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, subsequent domestic outbreaks of COVID-19 continue to occur. To sharp the community education program to guarantee the final success in the fight against COVID-19 in Vietnam and comparable countries, we examined the levels of COVID-19 knowledge and associated predictors among university students in Vietnam.
Materials and Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted on all students enrolling at Phenikaa University using a self-developed questionnaire consisted of 20 questions regarding COVID-19's risk factors, transmission routes, symptoms, and prevention.
Results
Among 728 participants, 40.9% were male, 63.2% studied health-related majors, and 18.1% lived alone. Correct response rates ranged from 25.3% to 98.9% across 20 questions. Only 51.9% (378/728) of participants had good knowledge levels. Studying health majors (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.547, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.398 - 0.751, P <0.001), and living with the seniors (AOR 0.612, 95% CI 0.389 - 0.963, P= 0.034) or with friends (AOR 0.405, 95% CI 0.252 – 0.650, P <0.001) were negatively associated with a poor level of COVID-19 knowledge.
Conclusion
The proportion of university students having good knowledge levels is suboptimal. It is essential to improve the quality of COVID-19 education with a more focus on not only the preventive measures, but also the disease itself. More studies are needed to improve the level of COVID-19 knowledge among those living alone or do not study healthrelated majors.

Keyword

COVID-19 knowledge; Vietnam; University students; Community education