The Nigerian youth and their positive attitude towards the national drive against the spread of COVID-19: A cross-sectional online survey

Abstract

Background: The global impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)has led to the need to prioritise public health campaign by all stakeholders among diverse population groups. This study investigated the dispositions of Nigerian adolescents towards the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.  Methods: The young adolescents (n=1,529) included in this study, were between the ages of 15 and 26 years from Afe Babalola University. Students were contacted through their various colleges and residential hostels to complete the questionnaire via a shared link. All students included, voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study by completing the adapted COVID-19 knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) questionnaire. The collected data were analysed to show the level of knowledge, attitude and preventative practices and also to test for significant association between gender and variables for the study. The study was conducted between March 23-April 25, 2021. Results: The outcome of the findings showed that students with families with 5-10 members showed significant association with knowledge accuracy on COVID-19 (χ2 = 6.077, p = 0.044). There was a significant association between gender and the need to report the suspected case of COVID-19 infection to the health authorities (χ2 = 14.075, p = 0.001) with more females likely to report a suspected case. More females (59.2%) were significantly (χ2 = 8.904, p = 0.012) involved in the practice of social distancing or home quarantine as a preventive measure. Conclusions: This study showed evidence of high prevalence of knowledge related to COVID-19 in majority of the study participants. This is a pointer to the efficacy and success of present public health campaigns in Nigeria.