A Cross-sectional Study to Evaluate People's Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Towards Using Disinfectants and Sanitizers During COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

Abstract

The devastating novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide has become a global health crisis. This disease is highly contagious and caused by the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, disinfectants and sanitizers are very effective and readily available preventive agents. In this study, knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) levels of Bangladeshi people's were assessed regarding the use of disinfectants and sanitizers during the pandemic. An online questionnaire-based survey was conducted among the respondents from July 2021 to December 2021. A total number of 428 respondents participated in this survey. Data were analysed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) V26 software and interpreted. Results revealed that most of the respondents were knowledgeable, had a positive attitude and engaged in beneficial practice. Among the respondents, a significantly higher knowledge and practice score were observed among females (54.1% and 54.4%, respectively) than their counterpart. Moreover, people living in urban areas (71.7%) had a better attitude than the rural people (28.3%). In addition, a medium positive correlation between knowledge and attitude (r = + 0.482), a weak positive association between attitude and practice (r = +0.199), and a weak positive association between knowledge and practice (r = + 0.282) were found. Overall, majority of the respondents had better KAP scores in knowledge and attitude with relatively low scores in practice which indicates some space for betterment. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 21(2): 117-126, 2022 (December)

Evaluation of public awareness and performance toward the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

“…Notable variables were gender and education level, and prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 regarding the levels of awareness and performance. The gender-based finding was inconsistent with the literature where females recorded a higher awareness but lower performance scores than males ( 16 , 27 – 29 ). The dominant role of mothers, homemakers, or cleaning staff would explain why females had a higher level of awareness concerning hygiene processes and products ( 30 ).…”

“…Well-educated participants (Bachelor and higher levels) recorded higher scores of awareness and performance than less/non-educated participants. As mentioned in the literature, the higher the education level, the higher the awareness and performance levels concerning preventive measures and disinfectant use (16,29,31). In addition, education may play an important role in choosing reliable sources of information and avoiding any online sources with misinformation and no scientific support (32).…”