The online questionnaire measuring 3 dependent variables, knowledge, attitude, and practice, which had total possible scores of 11, 7, and 6, respectively, was self-administered to 359 participants. Three hundred twenty-nine responded, giving a response rate of 91.3 %. Seventy-seven percent (n = 254) of the students were based on the female campus, while the remaining 23% (n = 75) were based on the male campus.
Table 1: Sex-based comparison of the mean scores for the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice subscales:
Table-1: : Sex-based comparison of the mean scores for the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice subscales
|
|
Knowledge questions
|
Attitude questions
|
Practice questions
|
|
Females
|
Males
|
Females
|
Males
|
Females
|
Males
|
Mean
|
6.2
|
5.79
|
5.22
|
4.64
|
3.21
|
3.03
|
Std. Deviation
|
2.1
|
2.25
|
1.78
|
1.8
|
1.47
|
1.47
|
Std. Error
|
0.132
|
0.26
|
0.112
|
0.208
|
0.092
|
0.17
|
Lower 95% CI
|
5.95
|
5.27
|
5.04
|
4.29
|
3.06
|
2.74
|
Upper 95% CI
|
6.46
|
6.3
|
5.41
|
4.99
|
3.36
|
3.31
|
Std-standard, CI-confidence interval
|
The mean knowledge scores were calculated and are shown in Table–1. An unpaired Student’s t-test was carried out to compare the knowledge of male and female participants, and it was estimated that the mean score for female participants was 6.2 + 2.1, whereas for males, it was 5.79 + 2.25. The estimated two-tailed p value was 0.1374 (<0.05), indicating that the means were not significantly different. Furthermore, Table–1 shows the mean attitude scores of the male and female participants. An unpaired Student’s t-test was carried out to compare the attitudes of the male and female students, and it was estimated that the mean score for female participants was 5.22 + 1.78, whereas for males, it was 4.64 + 1.8. The estimated two-tailed p value was 0.0131 (<0.05), indicating a significant difference. The students were also asked some basic questions that assessed their practice with respect to pharmacovigilance; the results are also summarized in Table–1. An unpaired t-test was carried out to compare the practice of the male and female participants, and it was estimated that the mean score for female participants was 3.21 + 1.47, whereas for males, it was 3.03 + 1.47. The estimated two-tailed p value was 0.3459 (<0.05), indicating no significant difference.
Table 2: Comparison of mean knowledge scores across different levels of students:
The mean knowledge score of the participants was estimated and compared across the academic levels for both sexes. The mean scores for the Level–7, –8, –9, and –10 students and the intern students were found to be 3.03+1.47, 5.37+2.14, 6.38+2.21, 6.19+2.03, and 6.42+2.31, respectively. A one-way analysis of variance was carried out, and the estimated p value was <0.0001 (<0.05), indicating a significant difference. Bartlett’s test for homogeneity of variances was also carried out and yielded a p value of 0.0026 (<0.05), indicating a significant difference between the groups. Bonferroni’s multiple comparisons test was also carried out to compare the academic levels and determine significant differences among the groups, and the results are clearly displayed in Table–2. [Table–2]
Table 3: Comparison of mean attitude scores across different levels of students
The mean attitude scores of the participants were estimated and compared across the academic levels for both sexes. The mean scores for Level–7, –8, –9, and –10 students and the intern students were 5.28+1.82, 4.16+1.93, 5.62+1.56, 5.01+1.62, and 5.29+1.76, respectively. A one-way analysis of variance was carried out, and the estimated p value was 0.0002 (<0.05), indicating a significant difference. Bartlett’s test for homogeneity of variances was also carried out, yielding a p value of 0.4716 (<0.05), suggesting no significant differences between the groups. Bonferroni’s multiple comparisons test was also carried out to compare the groups, and the details are summarized in Table 3. [Table–3]
Table 4: Comparison of mean practice scores across different levels of students
The mean practice score of the participants was estimated and compared across the academic levels for both sexes. The mean scores for Level–7, –8, –9, and –10 students and the intern students were 2.99+1.53, 3.25+1.54, 3.04+1.56, 3.43+1.29, and 3.13+1.42, respectively. A one-way analysis of variance was carried out, and the estimated p value was 0.4108 (<0.05), indicating no significant difference. Bartlett’s test for homogeneity of variances was also carried out, yielding a p value of 0.5233 (<0.05), suggesting no significant difference between the groups. Bonferroni’s multiple comparisons test was also carried out to compare the groups, and the details are summarized in Table–4. [Table–4]