Psychological Impact, Behavioral Changes and Perception of COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Science Students of Nepal

Background: COVID-19 has become a great public health concern in the world. In this unbridled situation, most of the educational institutes have been closed as a result. Education sector suffers the worst during this period as it fails to get the real priority of the government. Aim: This study aims to assess the psychological impact, behavioral changes, and perception of the COVID-19 pandemic on health science students of Nepal. Methods: A web based online questionnaire that includes General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) was used among 765 participants in between August and September 2020. A chi square test was used to test the association between variables. Results: The prevalence rate of moderate and severe anxiety was 16.1%. Surprisingly, participants with different ethnicity, study program, university affiliation, symptoms related to COVID-19, confirmed or suspected case, living status were associated with the anxiety level (p<0.05). The majority of the participants were engaged in all recommended and avoidance behaviors. Majority of the participants have right perception about hand washing frequency, wearing face mask, avoid going out that can reduce the risk of catching COVID-19. Awareness of corrected hand hygiene practice was 20.4%. Conclusions: The awareness of correct hand washing practice is less optimal, increase anxiety levels and changes behavioral responses to COVID-19 have been dramatic during the rising phase of the outbreak. These findings will help the concerned authorities to make the necessary policies and strategies in order to improve the mental health of the participants.