Communicable Disease Risk Awareness and Prevention: A Study on University Students in the Context of Social Support and Disaster Risk

Abstract

Objective: Factors such as the risk of the spread of infectious diseases, global health crises, and disasters are among the major health and security challenges facing societies. Informed protective measures and effective risk awareness are necessary to cope with these challenges. As young adults, university students represent a significant segment of society, making studies conducted on this group critical for implementing effective measures against infectious disease risks. This study aimed to investigate university students' awareness and prevention behaviors regarding communicable diseases, their perception of disaster risk, and the role of social support networks. Method: The descriptive study was conducted with a total of 372 undergraduate students studying at a university in T & uuml;rkiye. Data were collected using a sociodemographic characteristics form, the Communicable Disease Risk Awareness and Prevention Scale, the Disaster Risk Perception Scale for University Students, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0, employing independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA tests, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the university students participating in the study was 21.19 +/- 2.08 years (min. 18.00-max. 32.00), with 64.5% (n = 240) being female. Participants generally exhibited high levels of awareness and preventive behaviors regarding communicable diseases. Significant contributors to awareness included gender (beta = 9.51, p < 0.05), increased disaster risk perception (beta = 8.80, p < 0.01), obtaining information from health organization websites (beta = 7.90, p < 0.01), preparing an emergency kit (beta = 5.56, p < 0.05), and obtaining information from news websites (beta = 4.81, p < 0.05). It was found that an increase in perceived social support positively impacted students' awareness and prevention levels (beta = 0.48, p < 0.01). Additionally, an increase in disaster risk perception was positively correlated with communicable disease risk awareness (beta = 0.01, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study concludes that robust social support networks enhance students' health awareness and protective health behaviors. Universities should organize educational programs and drills to increase student disaster awareness and preparedness. Such training will help students better prepare for and effectively cope with disaster situations.