Assessment of knowledge and selected health behavior in the field of the prevention of infections with SARS-CoV-2 virus

Introduction
The aim of the study was to assess the level of knowledge and selected health behaviours in the field of SARS-Cov-2 infection prophylaxis.

Material and methods
The study involved 145 randomly selected respondents from the Pomeranian region. The study used the method of a diagnostic survey with the use of a proprietary questionnaire. The tool was created in a Google form. Statistical calculations were performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 25 package.

Results
A statistically significant association was found between the variables – the level of self-assessed knowledge about prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection and gender, the level of education, the presence of chronic diseases, and the principles of protecting oneself and others from infection with the virus in the following aspects: I behave as before, I do not pay much attention to the use of infection prevention, I wash my hands more often than usual, I keep a safe distance from people who are coughing and sneezing, I always wear a protective mask, and if I feel unwell, I stay at home.

Conclusions
The study confirms that socio-demographic factors such as male gender, low level of education, and the presence of chronic diseases are significantly associated with lower levels of knowledge about SARS-CoV-2. Because education of the public is a key element of acquiring knowledge and new skills to function safely in changing conditions, actions should be taken in these groups to increase awareness of the importance of preventive measures and the use of specific procedures to effectively counteract the spread of SARS-CoV-2.