Background: the world is facing Coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) which means enormous challenges in all areas of human development, including academic fields.

Aim: To determine the association between epidemiological characteristics and competencies in relation to COVID 19 (level of knowledge, risk perception attitudes and preventive practices) in undergraduate students of health sciences at universities in Lima and Callao.

Methods: analytical cross-sectional study, with a sample of 1235 surveys virtually applied composed of four sections, the first about epidemiological characteristics and the following three about competencies. The analysis included the use of frequencies for categorical variables in addition to bivariate statistics, where the association was evaluated through contingency tables using the disparity ratio with its corresponding 95% CI. For statistical significance, the X2 test was used. Finally, a multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the variables that explain a low level of competencies.

Results: the multivariate logistic regression permitted us to determine epidemiological characteristics that were significantly associated with a low level of competency in addressing COVID-19: belonging to a non-medical professional school (adjusted OR = 7.89, 95% CI 5.70-11.35, p-value < 0.001); having 1-2 years of study (adjusted OR = 5.63, 95% CI 3.51-9.48, p-value = 0. 003); not having received extra-curricular training from university (adjusted OR = 9.95; 95% CI: 6.58-12.36; p-value < 0.001) and not having COVID-19 cases at home (adjusted OR = 3.81; 95% CI: 2.9-4.2; p-value = 0.000).

Conclusion: We determined the epidemiological characteristics that were significantly associated with a low level of competency: belonging to a non-medical school, having from 1 to 2 years of studies, not having received extracurricular training in COVID 19 from the university, and not having cases of COVID at home.

Keywords: Coronavirus Infections; Students, Health Occupations; Health Knowledge, Attitudes And Practice.