Saudis Perceived Severity of Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Preventive Measures

Abstract

While the world is struggling with a Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, one country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been tackling a different strain of the Coronavirus, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), since 2012. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been working to ensure the safety and health of Saudi residents, particularly during the annual pilgrimage season. This study examined information-seeking behaviours among Saudi people regarding MERS-CoV and the level of adherence to health preventive measures during the Hajj season. The study used the Health Belief Model (HBM) to assess perceived severity among Saudis. The study aimed to measure Saudi’s levels of fear from being infected with MERS-CoV. Snowball sampling and simple random probability sampling methods were utilized. A total of 1,206 participated in the study. Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chi-Square test of independence, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient tests were conducted. The study found that the MOH needed to be more effective in sharing MERS-CoV information and that most Saudis had high perceived severity of MERS-CoV but did not fear contracting MERS-CoV, nor did it impact decisions to attend Hajj. Further results found that respondents with high perceived severity of contracting MERS-CoV were less likely to seek Coronavirus information than those with lower scores.