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

Abstract

The knowledge, awareness, and practices (KAP) about COVID-19 among the marine fishers who are engaged in the high-risk occupations and depend on the vulnerable sources of income in the Maharashtra state of India, were investigated to understand the behavioral changes and vulnerability among the respondents because of COVID-19. Data were collected through an online survey from 1st July to 30th July 2020 during the first peak of COVID-19 in the study area by using the questionnaire. Authors based on the latest recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the questionnaire and covered the KAP aspects under study. The questionnaire was administered through Google form link and the link was disseminated through social media such as Facebook and What’s App. The completed responses (n = 533) received from the eligible sample, excluding those outsides of the fisher community and duplicate entries were considered for analysis. Appropriate statistical tools were used to analyze the data. Among the respondents, 447 men (83.86%) and 86 women (16.14%), with a mean age of 45.4 years (M = 45.4, SD = 1.18). The results revealed that 70.92% of respondents perceived a low risk of infection because of COVID-19 with M = 1.77 and SD = 0.583, but authors found the perceived severity score high (M = 3.95, SD = 1.21) among the 60.97% of respondents. Around 95% of respondents were aware of the COVID-19, while almost all respondents knew the medium of infection and symptoms of COVID-19. The behavior of respondents towards COVID-19 infection was positive and was following sufficient precautionary measures suggested by WHO to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the demographic features of respondents like age, education were significantly contributing to the KAP of the fisher community. The results confirmed the importance of KAP which is reflected in the behavioral responses of the fishers while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The results regarding the risk perception, severity, KAP about COVID-19 provide a collective understanding of the emerging infectious disease among the marine fishers of Maharashtra state of India.

Knowledge, perceived risk, and attitudes towards COVID-19 protective measures amongst ethnic minorities in the UK: A cross-sectional study

“…We examined how information related to the pandemic was accessed. The findings revealed, similar to previously reported studies, that the most used sources to access COVID-19 related information included national TV and social networks (17,40). In support of previous research (41) social media platforms, particularly Facebook and WhatsApp were also found to be popular sources, particularly among younger populations, those who reside alone alongside those in paid employment and those with higher education status.…”

Artisanal Fishers Knowledge of Covid-19 and the Impact of Lock Down on Fishing in Igbomotoru Bayelsa State, Niger Delta

“…Despite the fact that the Fishers were not privileged as other areas, they were well informed of the COVID-19 diseases, its symptoms and precautions because unconcerned attitude of people leads to spread of the disease (Zhong et al2017). Supporting Wasave et al (2021) findings, Liu et al (2022) reported that better educated Fishers with higher income had more knowledge of COVID-19 in Fuqing, China. On the contrary, Fishers in Kashmir Valley though illiterates, were well informed of COVID-19 and so they acted accordingly to reduce spread of the disease (Siddique et al 2022).And in fishing communities in Bangladesh, the crisis reduced demand for fish that brought about a fall in the price of fish negatively affecting Fishers livelihood ( Hoque et al 2021).…”

“…Knowledge gained through authorities from scientific findings such as COVID-19 pandemic spreads fast to all areas including fishing communities. According to Wasave et al (2021), age and education contribute highly to the knowledge, attitude and practice of Fishers of Maharashtra State of India. Despite the fact that the Fishers were not privileged as other areas, they were well informed of the COVID-19 diseases, its symptoms and precautions because unconcerned attitude of people leads to spread of the disease (Zhong et al2017).…”

The need for a holistic approach toward pandemic control: lessons from a cross-sectional study on COVID-19 in Meghalaya, India

“…Although studies exploring awareness [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23], health-seeking behavior [24][25][26], and stigma related to COVID-19 [27,28] have been reported from different parts of India, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first community-based study to have been conducted in the northeast region (NER) of India, which has distinct cultural beliefs and practices. Moreover, the previously reported studies were either conducted online [12-20, 23, 25-28] or telephonically [21,24], or within specific population subgroups [13,17,20,22,[24][25][26][27][28], which may result in biased inferences due to lack of generalizability [29,30]. A comprehensive understanding of the community perception and health-seeking behavior can enable policy makers to plan mitigation and control measures to effectively tackle future pandemics.…”