Knowledge, attitude, practice and fear of COVID-19: A cross-cultural study

Abstract

Background: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP), and Fear toward COVID-19 are an important issue when designing public health approaches to control the spread of this highly contagious disease like COVID-19 during the global pandemic period. Studies with KAP and fear measures are limited only regional or country level, not yet with global or cross-cultural populations. The study is aimed to measure KAP and fear level towards COVID-19 and explore its cross-cultural variances in knowledge by socio-demographic factors among the general population of 8 different countries over 5 continents. Method: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in April 2020 among 1296 participants using the Google form platform. Considering the social distancing formula and pandemic situation, we collect data using popular social media networks. Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to explore the collected data on KAP, fear, and sociodemographic factors. Result: Overall knowledge score was 9.7 (out of 12) and gender differences (female vs male: 9.8 vs 9.5) were significant (p=0.008) in the bivariate analysis. Knowledge score variances found significant in some regions by gender, marital status and education qualification. The highest and lowest mean knowledge scores were recorded in the Middle East (10.0) and Europe (9.3). Despite having a high fear score (22.5 out of 35), 78.35% of respondents were in a positive attitude and 81.7% in good practice level. Fear score rankings: Middle East (1st; 23.8), Europe (2nd; 23.2); Africa (3rd; 22.7); South Asia (4th; 22.1); Oceania (5th; 21.9); and North America (6th; 21.7). We did not find a correlation between fear and knowledge. Limitation: Due to the nature of the online survey, aged and rural populations are under-representing (e.g. more than half of the responders are 16-29 age group). Conclusion: KAP and fear variation exist among geographical regions. Gender, marital status and education qualification are factors in knowledge variances for some regions. KAP and fear measures can assist health education programs considering some sociodemographic factors and regions during an outbreak of highly contagious disease and, which can uplift a positive attitude and good practice. Keywords: COVID-19, knowledge; attitude; practice; fear; cross-cultural study; online survey

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice and Associated Factors towards COVID-19 among College Students in Amhara Region, Ethiopia; A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In this study, the odds of positive attitude among single students was 3-folds higher compared to married students. This finding is consistent with a study conducted in eight countries of five continents [35]. Consequently, single students might have adequate time [48] This study revealed that students who were learning Diploma (TVET) level training had 73% less likely to have positive attitudes towards COVID-19 preventive measures compared to those who were learning degree program training.…”

“…In this study, the overall good level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 pandemic among college students was 69.6%. This finding is lower than studies conducted in Debre Birhan University (73.8%) [34], eight teaching hospitals Ethiopian (88.2%) [27], Indian medical students (94.5%) [31], eight countries of five continents (80.8%) determinants [35], Malaysia (80.5%) [36], Tanzania (84.4%) [37], Sudan (90.6%) [38], Pakistan (71.5%) [28]. The discrepancy might be due to differences in cut-values used to categorize the knowledge levels, sample size, and sociocultural various between study settings.…”

“…In this study, single students had 2.3 times greater odds of good knowledge compared to married students. This finding is supported by a study conducted in eight countries to assess knowledge level and its sociodemographic determinants [35]. Hence, single students may have sufficient time [48] to acquire adequate information regarding COVID 19 compared to married individuals who are very busy in the care of the families.…”

Investigating knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to COVID-19 outbreak among Bangladeshi young adults: A web-based cross-sectional analysis

“…Female participants were more likely to have adequate knowledge. This nding was surprisingly similar to a cross-cultural KAP study by Ali et al (2020). Higher education level was signi cantly associated with having adequate knowledge which can be justi ed by previous studies (Erfani et al, 2020;Farhana, 2020).…”

Relationship Between Knowledge, Preventive Practices and Fear from COVID-19 among Middle Aged and Older Adults: During the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

“…It was in the same line with Hossain et al, [31] who reported that knowledge scores showed contrasting correlation with Fear scores. In contrast, Ali et al, [5] didn't find a correlation between fear and knowledge.…”