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COVID-19 Pandemic Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Among the Pakistani General Public.

ABSTRACT: Background: Outbreak of COVID-19, in many countries, has imposed a lockdown on their residents. The usefulness of extenuative actions is extremely reliant on society's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward pandemic control. Objective: This study aimed to explore the awareness, attitudes, and practices of the general Pakistani population to COVID-19. Methods: From June 13, 2020, until June 30, 2020, a cross-sectional online KAP survey was conducted among the Pakistani public. For data collection, a validated self-administered questionnaire was used. The survey instrument consisted of six demographic characteristics, 14 items on knowledge, four on attitudes, and six items on practices, modified from a previously published questionnaire on COVID-19. Results: The present study included 2,307 participants, 58.3% males and 41.7% of females. The majority (86.7%) sought information from social media (SM) and television, 95% had good practices, 89.9% had positive attitudes, and two-thirds (67.4%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge. The students and people from younger age groups had more positive attitudes compared with others. Highly educated w with other groups (p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio indicated that the private job was negatively associated, and high monthly income was positively associated with adequate knowledge (OR = 0.595). Old age was the predictor of negative attitude, and high school degrees and master's degrees were associated with good practice scores. Conclusion: The Pakistani general population has an overall positive attitude and proactive practices against COVID-19, but their knowledge is inadequate. The most important source of information was SM, followed by television. These are playing a crucial role in educating the Pakistani public.

SUBMITTER: Rehman R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8219954 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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COVID-19 Pandemic Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Among the Pakistani General Public.

Rehman Rehana R Jawed Shireen S Ali Rabiya R Noreen Khola K Baig Mukhtiar M Baig Javaria J

Frontiers in public health 20210609

Background: Outbreak of COVID-19, in many countries, has imposed a lockdown on their residents. The usefulness of extenuative actions is extremely reliant on society's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward pandemic control. Objective: This study aimed to explore the awareness, attitudes, and practices of the general Pakistani population to COVID-19. Methods: From June 13, 2020, until June 30, 2020, a cross-sectional online KAP survey was conducted among the Pakist ...[more]

PMID: 34178907

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Project description:ObjectiveRomania began its COVID-19 immunization programme with approved vaccinations in three stages, as follows: The first step of vaccination is for health and social professionals, the second stage is for high-risk persons and the third stage is for the remainder of the general public. This study aims at assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 and vaccination against COVID-19 in the Romanian population during the third wave of the pandemic.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was based on a Bosnian and Herzegovinian study on COVID-19 vaccination during the country's third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsOur study sample, dominantly female (629; 61.0%), with a bachelor's degree (734; 71.2%), either single (539; 52.3%) or in a relationship (363; 35.2%), engaged in intellectual labour (910; 88.3%) and living in an urban environment (874; 84.8%) with a mean age of 25.07 ± 8.21 years, 294 (28.5%) people with COVID-19 symptoms and 86 (8.3%) were tested COVID-19 positive, had a mean knowledge score of 16.38 ± 4.0 with correct answer rates on questions ranging from 30.1% to 88.2%. Being single (odds ratio = 3.92, p = 0.029) or in a relationship (odds ratio = 3.79, p = 0.034), having a bachelor's degree and higher (odds ratio = 1.61, p = 0.006) and being COVID-19 tested (odds ratio = 1.82, p < 0.001) were associated with higher knowledge test scores. Our sample had relatively optimistic attitudes towards final COVID-19 disease containment (712; 69.1%) and vaccination programmes (679; 65.9%). The majority of the sample followed socio-epidemiological measures and did not visit places of mass social gatherings (666; 64.1%) and wore masks (992; 95.7%) while being outside their home. In terms of vaccination rates, 382 (37.0%) of the individuals were presently immunized against COVID-19. Higher knowledge test scores (>15 points) (odds ratio = 1.66, p = 0.002) and positive attitudes of this study (odds ratio = 1.59, p = 0.001, odds ratio = 4.16, p < 0.001) were identified as independent predictors for vaccinating against COVID-19.ConclusionRomanian citizens have had good knowledge, optimistic attitudes and appropriate practices towards COVID-19 vaccination during the third wave of COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Higher knowledge regarding the disease and vaccination against it not only increased attitudes towards the end of the pandemic, but also increased the willingness to be vaccinated and to avoid infection risk factors.

Project description:There are typically lower COVID-19 vaccination rates among developing versus higher-income countries, which is exacerbated by greater vaccine hesitancy. However, despite the increasing evidence of safety, parents are still reluctant to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. This is a concern in countries experiencing successive waves, such as Pakistan. Consequently, the objective of this study was to gain better understanding and practice regarding parents vaccinating their children against COVID-19 in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted to measure parents' attitudes towards vaccinating their children. In total, 451 parents participated in the study, giving a response rate of 70.4%; 67.4% were female, 43.2% belonged to the 40-49 years age group, and 47.7% had three children, with 73% of parents fully immunized against COVID-19. We found that 84.7% of parents did not consider COVID-19 to be a very serious issue, and 53.9% considered that their children were not at high risk of COVID-19. Overall, only a quarter of the study participants had currently vaccinated their children and 11.8% were willing to vaccinate their children in the near future. Parents who had a better knowledge of COVID-19, secondary or higher education, children who had chronic illness, and those parents whose children had been infected with COVID-19 were more likely to have their children vaccinated. The most common reasons for vaccine hesitancy were "my child is not at high risk of COVID-19" (61%) and "I am afraid to put/inject a foreign object inside my child's body" (52.2%). Overall, vaccine acceptance was low among the parents of the children. Those parents with higher education, chronic illnesses, greater knowledge of COVID-19 and its vaccines, and those whose children had been infected with COVID-19 were significantly (p < 0.001) inclined towards vaccinating their children. Effective campaigns as well as awareness sessions are needed to address misinformation and reduce vaccine hesitancy.

Project description:BackgroundAs the disease caused by the novel coronavirus has spread globally, there has been significant economic instability in the healthcare systems. This reality was especially accentuated in Ecuador where, the shortage of healthcare workers combined with cultural and macroeconomic factors has led Ecuador to face the most aggressive outbreak in Latin America. In this context, the participation of final-year medical students on the front line is indispensable. Appropriate training on COVID-19 is an urgent requirement that universities and health systems must guarantee. We aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Ecuadorian final-year medical students that could potentially guide the design of better medical education curricula regarding COVID-19.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional 33-item online survey conducted between April 6 to April 2020 assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and prognosis toward COVID-19 in Ecuadorian final-year medical students. It was sent by email, Facebook, and WhatsApp.ResultsA total of 309 students responded to the survey. Out of which 88% of students scored high (≥ 70% correct) for knowledge of the disease. The majority of students were pessimistic about possible government actions, which is reflected in the negative attitude towards the control of COVID-19 and volunteering during the outbreak in Ecuador (77%, and 58% of the students, respectively). Moreover, 91% of students said they did not have adequate protective equipment. The latter finding was significantly associated with negative attitudes.ConclusionsAlthough a large number of students displayed negative attitudes, the non-depreciable percentage of students who were willing to volunteer and the coexisting high level of knowledge displayed by students, suggests that Ecuador has a capable upcoming workforce that could benefit from an opportunity to strengthen, improve and advance their training in preparation for COVID-19. Not having personal protective equipment was significantly associated to negative attitudes. Providing the necessary tools and creating a national curriculum may be one of the most effective ways to ensure all students are trained, whilst simultaneously focusing on the students' most pressing concerns. With this additional training, negative attitudes will improve and students will be better qualified.

Project description:Background and Objectives: In order to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the countries took preventive measures such as lockdown and restrictions of movements. This can lead to effects on mental health of the population. We studied the impact of COVID-19 on psychological well-being and associated factors among the Pakistani general population. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted between 26th April and 15th May and included participants from all over the Pakistan. Attitudes and worriedness about COVID-19 pandemic were assessed using a structured questionnaire. A validated English and Urdu version of the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) was used to assess the well-being. Factor analysis was done to extract the attitude item domains. Logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with poor well-being. Results: A total of 1,756 people participated in the survey. Almost half 50% of the participants were male, and a similar proportion was employed. About 41% of the participants were dependent on financial sources other than salary. News was considered a source of fear as 72% assumed that avoiding such news may reduce the fear. About 68% of the population was worried about contracting the disease. The most common coping strategies used during lockdown were spending quality time with family, eating healthy food, adequate sleep, and talking to friends on phone. Prevalence of poor well-being was found to be 41.2%. Female gender, being unemployed, living in Sindh and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), fear of COVID-19, and having chronic illness were significantly associated with poor well-being. Similarly, coping strategies during lockdown (doing exercise; spending time with family; eating healthy food; having good sleep; contributing in social welfare work and spending time on hobbies) were also significantly associated with mental well-being. Conclusion: We found a high prevalence 41.2% of poor well-being among the Pakistani general population. We also investigated risk factors of poor well-being which included female gender, unemployment, being resident of ICT and Sindh, fear, chronic illness, and absence of coping strategies. This calls for immediate action at population level in the form of targeted mass psychological support programs to improve the mental health of population during the COVID-19 crises.

Project description:Background: The Saudi government had implemented unprecedented preventive measures to deal with COVID-19. These measures included intermittent curfews, bans on public gatherings, limitations on many services, temporary suspension of Hajj, Umrah, and visit and launching awareness campaigns. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the KAP toward COVID-19 among residents of the border region of Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was distributed from May 4 to May 21, 2020, using a Google Form. The survey questionnaire covered demographic characteristics and KAP toward COVID-19. The KAP questions consisted of 17 items on knowledge, four items on attitude, and six items on practice. Results: A total of 597 participants responded to the survey questionnaire. Overall, participants demonstrated a good knowledge of COVID-19, correctly answering 77% of the knowledge questions. Most of the participants exhibited good attitudes and acceptable practices toward COVID-19. Multiple regression analysis revealed that participants with a university education (B = 1.75) or post-graduate education (B = 2.24), those with an income >SR 10,000-20,000 (B = 1.38) or >SR 20,000 (B = 2.07), and those who had received a personal health education (B = 1.19) had higher COVID-19 knowledge scores (p < 0.05). The ordinal logistic regression analysis found that compared to being female, being male was significantly associated with worrying about COVID-19 (p = 0.024, OR = 1.78), willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (p = 0.003, OR = 1.81), and willingness to report potential symptoms of COVID-19 (p = 0.046, OR = 2.28). Worrying about COVID-19 was significantly associated with pre-university education vs. post-graduate education (p ≤ 0.001, OR = 7.94) and university education vs. post-graduate education (p ≤ 0.001, OR = 4.17). The binary logistic regression analysis found that compared to being female, being male was significantly associated with less face mask wearing in public (p = 0.009, OR = 0.31): Females were 3.23 times more likely to wear a face mask than were males. Conclusions: Most of the study participants had good knowledge, positive attitudes, and effective practices toward COVID-19. The findings of this study may help guide future awareness resources to the groups most in need in the Jazan region, particularly as the COVID-19 situation develops and changes. Further assessment should consider the groups omitted from this study, including immigrants and the elderly who have not adopted social media and technology.

Project description:AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused an unprecedented health crisis around the world, not least because of its heterogeneous clinical presentation and course. The new information on the pandemic emerging daily has made it challenging for healthcare workers (HCWs) to stay current with the latest knowledge, which could influence their attitudes and practices during patient care.This study is a follow-up evaluation of changes in HCWs' knowledge, attitudes, and practices as well as anxiety levels regarding COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Data were collected through an anonymous, predesigned, self-administered questionnaire that was sent online to HCWs in Saudi Arabia.The questionnaire was sent to 1500 HCWs, with a 63.8% response rate (N = 957). The majority of respondents were female (83%), and the most common age group was 31 to 40 years (52.2%). Nurses constituted 86.3% of the respondents. HCWs reported higher anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic which increased from 4.91 ± 2.84 to 8.6 ± 2.27 on an 11-point Likert scale compared to other viral outbreaks. HCWs believed that their own preparedness as well as that of their hospital's intensive care unit or emergency room was higher during the COVID-19 pandemic than during the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus pandemic (2012-2015). About 58% of HCWs attended one or more simulations concerning the management of COVID-19 patients in their intensive care unit/emergency room, and nearly all had undergone N95 mask fit testing. The mean score of HCWs' knowledge of COVID-19 was 9.89/12. For most respondents (94.6%), the perception of being at increased risk of infection was the main cause of anxiety related to COVID-19; the mean score of anxiety over COVID-19 increased from 4.91 ± 2.84 before to 8.6 ± 2.27 during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia.HCWs' anxiety levels regarding COVID-19 have increased since a pandemic was declared. It is vital that healthcare facilities provide more emotional and psychological support for all HCWs.

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COVID-19 Pandemic Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Among the Pakistani General Public.

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COVID-19 Pandemic Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Among the Pakistani General Public.

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