Awareness Among Undergraduate Students of Mangalore City Regarding Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): A Questionnaire Study

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 outbreak has surfaced as an imminent threat for the public health. Because India is a populous country, it is important for Indians to be aware of the basic modes of prevention that can diminish the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. AIM: The present questionnaire study was carried out among the undergraduate students to assess the awareness regarding the spread and control of COVID-19. METHODS: The questionnaire was circulated among the undergraduate students as a Google form. RESULTS: The study included responses of 868 undergraduate students belonging to 2 university colleges. The majority of the participants were females (63%; n = 547) in the age range of 18-23 y. Approximately 98.3% (853) had awareness regarding COVID-19. Approximately 94.7% (822) were washing their hands after visiting public places, out of which only 90.6% (786) were aware of proper steps to be followed in hand washing. It was concluded that it is required to create awareness among 20.8% (181) of our study participants regarding the importance of hand washing to control COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness regarding COVID-19 among study participants was good. However, a small part of the study population is required to be educated on proper steps to be followed in hand washing.