Abstract

Background: With the increased prevalence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Saudi population is at risk of being infected with the condition. The objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge and evaluate the attitude of secondary school male students in Sudair area, KSA about MERS-CoV

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, whole students were selected in all three schools, 386 secondary school male students in Sudair area, KSA were selected. A semi-structured questionnaire was `utilized to collect the data. The sample size was calculated as 386 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis after obtaining the ethical approval.

Results: The study showed that the level of knowledge of MERS-CoV among male students at secondary schools in the Sudair area was (42%) and 71% of the sample had positive attitude towards MERS-CoV. Thirty (81.1%) of students who had illiterate mothers had adequate MERS-CoV knowledge. Adequate MERS-CoV knowledge was found in 47 (65.3%) of students whose mothers had primary school education and147 (53.1%) for students whose mothers had above primary school education.

Conclusion: The study concluded that the secondary school students’ knowledge of MERS-CoV in Sudair area, Saudi Arabia is inadequate. However, most of the students have positive attitude towards the disease. The students’ MERS-CoV knowledge is significantly associated with mothers’ education.

Key words: MERS-CoV; knowledge, attitude, secondary school male students