KAP-COVID_GLOBAL: a multinational survey of the levels and determinants of public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19

Abstract

ObjectiveThe adherence to public health recommendations to control COVID-19 spread is influenced by public knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). We performed this cross-sectional study to assess the levels and determinants of public KAP towards COVID-19 in a large, multinational sample.DesignCross-sectional study (survey).SettingThe questionnaire was distributed to potential respondents via online platforms.Participants71 890 individuals from 22 countries.MethodsWe formulated a four-section questionnaire in English, followed by validation and translation into seven languages. The questionnaire was distributed (May to June 2020) and each participant received a score for each KAP section.ResultsOverall, the participants had fair knowledge (mean score: 19.24±3.59) and attitudes (3.72±2.31) and good practices (12.12±1.83) regarding COVID-19. About 92% reported moderate to high compliance with national lockdown. However, significant gaps were observed: only 68.2% knew that infected individuals may be asymptomatic; 45.4% believed that antibiotics are an effective treatment; and 55.4% stated that a vaccine has been developed (at the time of data collection). 71.9% believed or were uncertain that COVID-19 is a global conspiracy; 36.8% and 51% were afraid of contacting doctors and Chinese people, respectively. Further, 66.4% reported the pandemic had moderate to high negative effects on their mental health. Female gender, higher education and urban residents had significantly (p≤0.001) higher knowledge and practice scores. Further, we observed significant correlations between all KAP scores.ConclusionsAlthough the public have fair/good knowledge and practices regarding COVID-19, significant gaps should be addressed. Future awareness efforts should target less advantaged groups and future studies should develop new strategies to tackle COVID-19 negative mental health effects.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Toward SARS-COV-2 Infection in the United Arab Emirates Population: An Online Community-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

“…An important finding in this study is that knowledge scores determine both practice and attitude. This finding was similar to a large recent study that reported significant correlations between all KAP scores ( 16 ). This finding highlight the importance of knowledge to change behavior and practice and justify investment in effective educational programs.…”

“…More optimistic findings were observed among Chinese people, where 90.8% believed that COVID-19 would finally be successfully controlled, and 97.1% were confident that China could control the virus ( 20 ). Nevertheless, this study participants were far more optimstic than a recent study participants that included 71 890 individuals from 22 countries where >50% were uncertain or not optimistic that the pandemic will finally end or that their government will be able to control COVID-19 situation ( 16 ). These findings can be explained by the trust in government authorities, the local healthcare system, and the country's infrastructure by UAE residents.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) Regarding the COVID-19 Outbreak in Côte d’Ivoire: Understanding the Non-Compliance of Populations with Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

“…A cross-sectional study using a multinational sample to assess the levels and determinants of public KAP towards COVID-19 in 22 countries around the world found that the public have fair/good knowledge and practices regarding COVID-19, despite the existence of significant gaps that should be addressed [ 16 ]. Those gaps will be the focus of future awareness efforts focusing on less advantaged groups and COVID-19 preventive measure-associated negative mental health effects.…”

Assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of COVID-19 among Quarantine Hotel Workers in China

“…Prior research provides evidence that the level of KAP possessed by inhabitants dictates the success of the adopted measures [ 15 , 18 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Recently, there are some studies investigated KAP towards COVID-19 in different group, such as general residents [ 19 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ], healthcare workers [ 24 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ], students [ 9 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], patients [ 49 ], hospital visitors [ 50 ] and slums [ 51 , 52 ], during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of KAP studies regarding COVID-19 discuss the group of general residents.…”