Community knowledge, attitude and practices to SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019 (COVID-19): A cross-sectional study in Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019 (COVID-19) is pandemic and currently becomes a serious cause of death worldwide. It is caused by a SARS-CoV-2 belonging to a family known as corona virus. The aim of this study is to assess the community knowledge, attitude and practice strategy implementation on SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019 (COVID-19). A cross-sectional survey study was done from July to October, 2020 in Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia. Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 404 respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test with a 95% confidence interval to know the association of socio-demographic characteristics with the knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19. From a total of 404 responses collected (64.1%, n = 259/404), (50.7%, n = 205/404) and (39.6%, n = 160/404) of the respondents were between ages 18–39 years, males and were diploma and above, respectively. The majority of the respondents had good knowledge about the transmission mode and symptoms of COVID-19 and they obtained information mainly through mass media. The knowledge of the respondents about the transmission mode of COVID-I9 through coughing and sneezing, direct contact with infected person and touching contaminated materials was statistically associated with education and occupation (p <0.001). Among the total respondents (53.7%, n = 217/404) had a negative attitude that COVID-19 pandemic will not be controlled. The attitude of the respondents towards successfully controlling of COVID-I9 was statistically associated in terms of age, marital status, education and occupation (p < 0.001). Most of the respondents (63.1%, n = 255/404), (58.9%, n = 238/404), (66.8%, n = 270/404) and (63.9%, n = 258/404) did not wash hands with soap, avoidance of touching the nose and mouth, practicing social distancing and wearing of face masks in public or crowded places, respectively. The practices of the respondents towards COVID-19 were statistically associated with sex, marital status, education and occupation (p < 0.01). COVID-19 is currently the cause of death and it has a great impact on the economy, politics and social interactions in the study area. The government should strength the health system by increasing surveillance activities in detecting cases. Our findings suggest that the community should practice the WHO and EMoH recommendations to minimize the spread of the virus.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 among the marine fishers of Maharashtra State of India: An online cross-sectional Analysis

“…The little knowledge of disease, negative or casual approach and dangerous practices were the reasons for the spread of COVID-19 infection and subsequent outbreak propagation [16]. The knowledge, attitude, and practices of the community studied in Ethiopia regarding COVID-19 and results revealed that 53.7% of respondents had a negative attitude towards the COVID-19 pandemic [17]. The negative or casual approach of the communities and the relatively disadvantageous categories of society pose a social challenge as they underestimate the COVID-19 risk and keep themselves unaware of symptoms [18].…”

Development of the Adult Pandemic Attitude Scale (A-PAS)

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) reported the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in December 2019 [ 1 , 2 ]. SARS-CoV-2, which broke out in 2019, has become a major public health problem worldwide, causing great fear in people and is still ongoing as a pandemic in 2021 [ 2 , 3 ]. However, since the outbreak of H1N1 influenza in 2009, health-related ministries in each country have been paying special attention to preparing strategies to prepare for a pandemic and prevent its spread [ 4 ].…”

Contexts, beliefs and health behaviour: Are individuals who engage in risky sexual behaviour likely to wear facemasks against COVID-19?

“…Beliefs therefore matter in health behavior, [9][10][11] including with Covid-19. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Beyond beliefs, the sociodemographic characteristics of the study population fur- Mask usage was more prevalent among respondents who were females, married, who had tertiary education, earned a minimum of N50,000 per month, and lived in rural Nigeria. Some studies have also shown this association elsewhere.…”

“…1,2 While the literature is replete with evidence to show that attitude and behaviour, encapsulated in health beliefs, matter for the spread of infectious diseases, studies have further confirmed same to be valid with Covid-19. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Individuals, according to the health belief model (HBM), prevent or expose themselves from/to diseases based on their perception of their susceptibility, the severity of the disease, benefits accruable from engaging in protective behaviour, barriers to the protective behaviour, factors that could lead them to adopting the protective behaviour, and their perceived efficacy of the protective action. [9][10][11] Given the freedom to choose therefore, individuals may engage in health behaviour that put them and others at risk of infection.…”