Acquisition of knowledge and change in practices regarding COVID-19 among Assam Agricultural University students in 2020–21 Maniar Avani1,*, Lahkar Dubari2,** 1Head and Associate Professor, Department of Extension and Communication Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara-390002, Gujarat, India 2Research Scholar, Department of Extension and Communication Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara-390002, Gujarat, India *(Corresponding author) email id: maniar.avani-extcomm@msubaroda.ac.in
**dubarilahkar@gmail.com
Online published on 12 April, 2023. Abstract The current COVID-19 pandemic is in critical need of effective health-promoting adaptive behaviours and forming health strategies to develop preventive measures against the disease and to induce the already existing measures. The objective of the study was to determine the overall knowledge and practises of the students towards COVID-19. The study was conducted among the UG/PG students of the Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam. Data was collected using Google form, administered among the selected students through various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Out of approximately 500 students, 142 students participated in the study through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Frequency-percentage, intensity indices, t-test, and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. Little more than fifty percent (52.8%) of the university students had a lower level of knowledge regarding COVID-19, whereas less than forty percent (47.2%) of the students had a higher level of knowledge regarding COVID-19. Significant differences in students’ knowledge of COVID-19 were observed with respect to their areas of study, indicating that College of Agriculture students had a higher level of knowledge than College of Community Science students. Little more than fifty percent (52.8%) of the students had adapted practices regarding social activities to a great extent. Less than fifty percent (41.5%) of the students had also significantly altered their health and hygiene practises; however, only slightly more than thirty four percent of the students had significantly changed their daily routines and eating habits throughout COVID-19. In times of crisis, it's important to understand the gap between people's beliefs and actions, and the government and institutions must work together to establish effective techniques to modify students’ COVID-19 proper behaviour in order to combat the pandemic. Top Keywords COVID-19, Knowledge, Practices, Media, Students. Top |