A study on knowledge of influenza A(H1N1) and preventive behavior in the midst of the spread of the flu

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine selected people's knowledge of Influenza A(HINI), their self-efficacy, social norms, awareness of the gravity of the infection of the flu, behavioral intention, preventive behavior, the impact of their knowledge of the flu on those variables and the relationship of the variables, as the spread of the flu has been accelerated. Methods : The subjects in this study were 484 health-related majors at two selected colleges selected by random sampling from the metropolitan area. Results : As for connections between knowledge of the 2009 H1N1 and self-efficacy, the students who were knowledgeable about the flu got a mean of 3.24, and those whose knowledge was on an intermediate level got 3.08. The students who didn't know well about that got 2.91. The students who were better informed were ahead of those who were less informed in terms of self-efficacy, and the intergroup gap was statistically significant(p<0.01). In relation to self-efficacy, the better-informed students scored higher than the less-informed ones in both of the two items: whether to know how to cope with the spread of the 2009 H1N1(p<0.01), and whether to be able to be ready for the spread of it(p<0.01). The intergroup gaps were statistically significant. Conclusions : The knowledge of the students about Influence A(H1N1) and their preventive behavior were analyzed in association with the spread of the flu, and there were no differences in actual preventive behavior though they were not the same in terms of behavioral intention. Therefore health education programs should be prepared to improve not only their knowledge but their attitude and preventive skills to boost their preventive behavior.

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