Monkey pox preparedness: evaluating awareness and knowledge among healthcare students, Hail Saudi Arabia

Objective: This study aimed to examine the awareness of monkey pox among healthcare students at the University of Hail, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 students at the University consisting of six Health Sciences institutions. Health institutions were selected through a multi-stage sampling technique. Data collection was conducted from 1st September 2024 till 31st January 2025. Participants aged between 18 and 25 years and who were willingly agreed to participate in the study were included. Participants who refused to participate, were mentally unstable, or did not complete the entire questionnaire were excluded. Participants were selected through convenient sampling. Results: Overall, 71.9% of participants had good knowledge. Most were aged 18-24 years (86.9%),with females representing 69.9%. The mean age was 22 ± 1.56 years. Participants aged 21-27 years had higher odds of poor knowledge than those aged 16-20 years, though not statistically significant (AOR = 1.77, 95% CI: 0.58-5.37, p-value = 0.309). Females had higher odds of poor knowledge than males, but not significant (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 0.61-4.51, p-value = 0.608). Nursing students had significantly higher odds of poor knowledge (AOR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.09-9.35, p-value = 0.034) than public health students, while other disciplines showed no significant differences. Conclusion: Awareness was generally good, influenced by gender and age. Health awareness campaigns, either physically or online, are essential to enhance response capacity and disease surveillance.