AUTHOR=El Alouani Hajar , Traoré Ousmane , Touré Babacar 
  
TITLE=Perception of infection risk and attitudes toward infection prevention and control measures among health sciences students in Morocco: a cross-sectional study
  
JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health
  
VOLUME=Volume 71 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2026.1609531
  
DOI=10.3389/ijph.2026.1609531
  
ISSN=1661-8564
  
ABSTRACT=ObjectivesTo assess infection risk perception, attitudes toward Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures, and knowledge related to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) among health sciences students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among students enrolled in medical, dental, pharmacy, paramedical, and other health-related programs. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analyses included chi-square, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis tests, as appropriate. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha.ResultsA total of 270 students were included in the study. Most participants had heard about HAIs (80.7%) and correctly identified their definition (94.4%). Surgical site infections were the most frequently identified HAIs (75.6%). The mean knowledge score was 4.32 ± 1.30, while attitudes toward IPC measures showed a high overall score (4.31 ± 0.55). The overall risk perception score was (3.01 ± 0.68), with university hospitals perceived as the highest-risk setting. Knowledge scores differed significantly according to field of study and prior IPC training (p < 0.05).ConclusionFavorable attitudes were observed, but variations in knowledge and risk perception highlight the need to strengthen IPC training.