Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards the Coronavirus Disease 19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Delhi-NCR Regions of India

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2-induced pandemic initially began as a local viral outbreak in Wuhan in late December 2019. Thereafter, it rapidly spread to the remaining parts of the globe, causing substantial psychosomatic disorders and socioeconomic disruption. Consequently, millions of lives have been lost due to the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, common people have also been at the receiving end, and continue to struggle daily on multiple fronts of sustenance, existence, and survival. To date, there has not been the successful development of effective therapeutic drugs (except for a few prophylactic vaccines) to contain this pandemic. Therefore, focus on non-pharmacological interventions, including spread of public health awareness, and inculcating good practices and attitudes among the general population, have become crucial at this juncture, facilitating the transition from pandemic to post- pandemic life. Here, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey to evaluate COVID-19-related knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the general population residing in and around Delhi, the National capital of India, involving a random sample of 521 participants. Our comprehensive data analyses unravel a statistically significant (p < 0.05) disparity in knowledge, attitude, and practices about COVID-19 in the general population based on contrasting variables, such as gender, educational qualification, location, and economic background. This highlights the crucial need for removing significant disparity concerning basic COVID-19 knowledge by communicating evidence-based information through regular educational programs and awareness campaigns to help the community and common people in fighting against the ongoing pandemic.