Table 2.
Comparison of knowledge about COVID-19 among medical students in relation to gender
| Items of knowledge of COVID-19 | Males (N = 208) | Females (N = 231) | Total (N = 439) | X 2 | P-Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | n | % | |||
| Main clinical symptom | ||||||||
| Fever | 190 | 91.3 | 224 | 97.0 | 414 | 94.3 | 6.445 | 0.011* |
| Fatigue | 153 | 73.6 | 191 | 82.7 | 344 | 78.4 | 5.376 | 0.020* |
| Dry cough | 196 | 94.2 | 223 | 96.5 | 419 | 95.4 | 1.339 | 0.247 |
| Dyspnea | 157 | 75.5 | 180 | 77.9 | 337 | 76.8 | 0.366 | 0.454 |
| Myalgia | 78 | 37.5 | 60 | 39.0 | 168 | 38.3 | 0.099 | 0.753 |
| Unlike common cold, stuffy nose, runny nose, and sneezing are less common | 147 | 70.7 | 171 | 74.0 | 318 | 72.4 | 0.616 | 0.432 |
| Currently, there is no effective cure | 180 | 86.5 | 193 | 83.5 | 373 | 85.0 | 0.765 | 0.382 |
| Early symptomatic and supportive treatment can help most patients recover from the infection | 179 | 86.1 | 204 | 88.3 | 383 | 87.2 | 0.500 | 0.480 |
| Low-risk groups | ||||||||
| Children | 114 | 54.8 | 127 | 55.0 | 241 | 54.9 | 0.001 | 0.971 |
| Adults | 175 | 84.1 | 176 | 76.2 | 351 | 80.0 | 4.310 | 0.038* |
| High-risk groups | ||||||||
| Pregnant females | 115 | 55.3 | 162 | 70.1 | 277 | 63.1 | 10.35 | 0.001* |
| Elderly people | 193 | 92.8 | 220 | 95.2 | 413 | 94.1 | 1.179 | 0.278 |
| Obese patients | 89 | 42.8 | 91 | 39.4 | 180 | 41.0 | 0.521 | 0.470 |
| Chronic patients | 176 | 84.6 | 213 | 92.2 | 389 | 88.6 | 6.251 | 0.012* |
| Eating or contacting wild animals would not result in infection | 100 | 48.1 | 107 | 46.3 | 207 | 47.2 | 0.136 | 0.713 |
| Infected persons can transmit the virus to others when fever is not present | 176 | 84.6 | 192 | 83.1 | 368 | 83.8 | 0.181 | 0.670 |
| COVID-19 virus spreads via respiratory droplets of infected individuals | 208 | 100.0 | 225 | 97.4 | 433 | 98.6 | FE | 0.031* |
| People can wear general medical masks to prevent infection | 143 | 68.8 | 154 | 66.7 | 297 | 67.7 | 0.217 | 0.641 |
| It is necessary for children and young adults to take measures to prevent infection | 185 | 88.9 | 202 | 87.4 | 387 | 88.2 | 0.235 | 0.628 |
| To prevent infection individuals should avoid going to crowded places and avoid taking public transportations | 203 | 97.6 | 225 | 97.4 | 428 | 97.5 | 0.017 | 0.897 |
| Isolation and treatment of people who are infected are effective to reduce spread of the virus | 202 | 97.1 | 216 | 93.5 | 418 | 95.2 | 3.130 | 0.077 |
| People who have contact with someone infected virus should be immediately isolated in a proper place | 191 | 91.8 | 217 | 93.9 | 408 | 92.9 | 0.744 | 0.388 |
| The observation period for people who have contact with patients should be 7-14 days | 122 | 58.7 | 131 | 56.7 | 253 | 57.6 | 0.169 | 0.681 |
| The virus mainly affects lungs, and can cause permanent lung damage | 182 | 87.5 | 196 | 84.8 | 378 | 86.1 | 0.643 | 0.423 |
| The virus can live on surfaces for a long period of time | 129 | 62.0 | 138 | 59.7 | 267 | 60.8 | 0.239 | 0.625 |
| The virus can be transmitted in a hot climate | 118 | 56.7 | 120 | 51.9 | 238 | 54.2 | 1.009 | 0.315 |
| Diagnosis can be confirmed by PCR | 182 | 87.5 | 198 | 85.7 | 380 | 86.6 | 0.300 | 0.584 |
| The flu vaccine cannot protect against COVID-19 virus | 141 | 67.8 | 161 | 69.7 | 302 | 68.8 | 0.186 | 0.667 |
| The incubation period of COVID-19 virus is 2-14 days | 177 | 85.1 | 186 | 80.5 | 363 | 82.7 | 1.601 | 0.203 |
| Older people who suffer from chronic medical conditions are more vulnerable to becoming ill with COVID-19 virus | 191 | 91.8 | 206 | 89.2 | 397 | 90.4 | 0.888 | 0.346 |
| Plasma of cured COVID-19 patients can be effective in treatment of infection | 110 | 52.9 | 122 | 52.8 | 232 | 52.8 | 0.001 | 0.988 |
| Most common ethnic group at high risk of mortality if infected are black persons | 22 | 10.6 | 14 | 6.1 | 36 | 8.2 | 2.966 | 0.085 |
*
P < 0.05.