Knowledge about monkeypox prevention of preventive medicine students at Hanoi Medical University in 2023 and some associated factors

Abstract

Monkeypox is a dangerous infectious disease declared a public health emergency by the WHO. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to May 2023, using a self-completed questionnaire on 302 Preventive Medicine students with the purpose of describing general knowledge about disease prevention and control. some related factors. The results showed that the rate of students knowing about transmission routes, typical symptoms, complications, risk groups, and preventive measures for themselves is quite low (less than 25.0%). The percentage of students with good knowledge about monkeypox is 36.1%. Factors related to good knowledge about the disease in students are having heard of monkeypox (OR: 1.95; 95%CI: 1.16 - 3.29) and being a student in the last 3 years of study (OR: 1.13; 95%CI: 1.03 – 1.32) is a factor related to students’ knowledge about monkeypox. It is necessary to improve students’ knowledge of disease prevention through direct or indirect forms of communication right from the first years of education.