Assessment Of Knowledge, Attitude & Practice Towards Covid-19 Among General Public During The Global Healthcare Crisis: A Web Based Cross Sectional Study

Author: Ishfaq Rashid, Geetank Kamboj, Aamir Bashir, Karan Kumar, Sahil Sharma, Pramil Tiwari

Abstract:
Background: Coronavirus outbreak looms with fear and uncertainty. Public awareness is considered as one of the most important determinants of control and preventive measures of the disease. During this global healthcare crisis, this study aims to assess the determinants of knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19. Methodology: This online cross-sectional study was conducted by employing a self-administered questionnaire to assess the KAP towards COVID-19 among general public. The time frame for this study was 10th April to 30th April 2020. The survey was conducted through various social media platforms. Descriptive statistical methods were majorly employed to summarize the data on demographic characteristics and responses to questions concerning KAP towards COVID-19. The data was summarized as frequencies and percentages (%) for categorical variables. The Independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, chi square test, multiple linear regression analyses, and multinomial/binary logistic regression analysis were also employed. A p value of <0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: A total of 515 participants completed the online survey questionnaire with mean age of 25.1 years ranging from of 18-70 years. Male participants (271) were slightly higher than females (244), a majority of which 450 (87.4%) were unmarried, more than half of them 281 (54.6%) held a masters degree or above, and 351 (68.2%) were students. The overall average COVID-19 knowledge score (SD) was 11.7 (2.121) with 78% (11.7/15*100) correct rate in the knowledge section. The correct response percentage of the 15 questions on the COVID-19 knowledge questionnaire was in the range of 30.48-98.44%. The majority of the respondents agreed that COVID-19 will be successfully controlled and had confidence that India can win this battle, maintaining social distance along with personal hygiene. Most of the participants did not visit any crowded place (93.5%), wore masks before going out (90.6%). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that Indian adults demonstrated good knowledge, a positive attitude and practice towards COVID-19. However, knowledge was lower among older adults and less educated groups. But lack of specific treatment attracts more coordinated efforts to educate and practice the preventive measures.