PANDEMIC AWARENESS AND PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR: A STUDY OF COVID-19 AMONG STUDENTS OF AKWA IBOM STATE UNIVERSITY

This study examined the knowledge, perception and attitude of undergraduates of Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria about coronavirus preventive measures. A survey research design was adopted in studying a sample of 400 undergraduates selected from a total population of 5838 undergraduates using stratified proportionate sampling technique. Data were generated using a researchers’ developed structured questionnaire entitled “Knowledge, Perception and Attitudes about coronavirus questionnaire”. The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The results revealed that University undergraduates’ knowledge of coronavirus preventive measures is significantly high; they have significantly positive perception of coronavirus disease preventive measures and significantly positive attitude towards coronavirus diseases preventive measures. Thus, it concluded that Akwa Ibom State University undergraduates responded to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic protocols. It is recommended among others that health education programmes about the coronavirus preventive measures should be promoted to reinforce knowledge, perception and attitude that will positively influence the behaviour adopted by the students regarding the coronavirus diseases preventive measures.