Differences in knowledge, perception, and use of multivitamins and immunomodulators in health students and non-health students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been designated by WHO as a global pandemic. Based on the data obtained, the proportion of COVID-19 cases in adolescents is 24.88%. This is because the youth group is considered a non-vulnerable group. One of the efforts to prevent exposure to the coronavirus is to take multivitamins and immunomodulators. This study aims to determine differences in knowledge, perception, and use of multivitamins and immunomodulators in health students and non-health students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was conducted using a cross-sectional approach and was conducted in April-June 2021. The subjects in this study were health and non-health students who met the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. Data analysis in this study used univariate and bivariate analysis. Data analysis was bivariate using the Independent Sample T-Test. The results showed 181 health students and 87 non-health students. The level of knowledge of health and non-health students is included in the sufficient category. Then the perception of health and non-health students shows a negative perception. Meanwhile, the level of use of health students and non-health students is the type of multivitamin or immunomodulator that is most widely used, which is generic and consumed weekly for the reason of increasing endurance. The results of the bivariate analysis showed that there were differences in the level of knowledge (p = 0.000), perception (p = 0.000), and use (p = 0.000) of multivitamins and immunomodulators among health and non-health students. The conclusion of this study shows that there are differences in the level of knowledge, perception, and use of multivitamins and immunomodulators among health students and non-health students during the COVID-19 pandemic.