SELF-CARE AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST COVID-19 IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between self-care behaviors and preventive measures against COVID-19 among students at a public university in Peru, in addition, to evaluate its relationship with age, sex, and academic programs. Material and Method: Correlational study conducted at a public institution located in a province north of the department of Lima, offering seven professional degrees: Accounting and Finance, Law and Political Science, Nursing, Obstetrics, Agricultural Engineering, Food Industry Engineering, and Civil Engineering. A probabilistic sampling was used to select 314 students from a population of 1,527 enrolled in the second semester of 2021. Due to social isolation and the shift to online
learning, the students were contacted via email and asked to complete an online survey (Google Forms). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data (p?0.05). Results: 50.62% of university
students were women, with five members per family; 80.92% of university students classified self-care
behaviors as moderately effective, and 7.30% as effective. Regarding COVID-19 preventive measures, 65.01% of students classified them as inadequate, with a correlation between the two variables (p ? 0.00).
Only age showed a relationship with self-care when relating it to demographic and professional variables (p? 0.05). Conclusions: There is a relationship between self-care and preventive measures against COVID-19 in university students, with age being a condition related to self-care.