scholarly journals Knowledge and Beliefs towards Universal Safety Precautions to flatten the curve during Novel Coronavirus Disease (nCOVID-19) Pandemic among general Public in India: Explorations from a National Perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai Krishna Gudi ◽  
Krishna Undela ◽  
Rajesh Venkataraman ◽  
Uday Venkat Mateti ◽  
Manik Chhabra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
P Value ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

AbstractBackgroundThe novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is being considered as the most serious health threat that the world has never witnessed in the recent times and significantly affecting the daily routine of mankind by emerging as a global pandemic. Yet, as there is no treatment nor a vaccine that was approved so far, universal safety precautions (USPs) and mitigating strategies are the only way to deal with this emergency crisis. However, knowledge and beliefs towards USPs among the general public in countries such as India with a large population are lacking.MethodsA prospective, cross-sectional, web-based online survey was conducted among the general public in India during March 2020. A 20-item self-administered survey questionnaire was developed and randomly distributed among the public using google document forms through social media networks. Descriptive statistics were used in representing the study characteristics, and the Chi-square test was used in assessing the associations among the study variables with a p-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.ResultsOf 1287 participants, 1117 have given their consent of willingness and completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 86.8%. The mean age of the study participants was 28.8 ± 10.9 years, where the majority of them belong to the age category <25 years, and sex was equally distributed. Based upon the socio-demographic information, the majority were post-graduates (32.9%), professional job holders (45%) and belonged to the upper-middle (40%) economic class. Overall, the knowledge and beliefs towards USPs and mitigating strategies among participants varied between moderate to high, with statistically significant associations with their socio-demographic characteristics.ConclusionsAlthough the knowledge and beliefs of the general public in India towards USPs are encouraging, there is a need for long-term educational interventions as the dynamics and severity of COVID-19 have been changing day-by-day rapidly. The findings of this study could guide the public health authorities in making and implementing decisions to combat this pandemic.

Knowledge and Beliefs towards Universal Safety Precautions to flatten the Curve during Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic among the General Public in India: Explorations from a National Perspective (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai Krishna Gudi ◽  
Manik Chhabra ◽  
Krishna Undela ◽  
Rajesh Venkataraman ◽  
Uday Venkat Mateti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
P Value ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs

BACKGROUND Background: The novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is being considered as the most serious health threat that the world has never witnessed in the recent times and significantly affecting the daily routine of mankind by emerging as a global pandemic. As there is no treatment nor a vaccine that was approved so far, universal safety precautions (USPs) and mitigating strategies are the only way to deal with this emergency crisis. However, studies on knowledge and beliefs towards USPs among the general public in countries such as India with a large population are lacking. OBJECTIVE Objective: The goal of this study is to assess the knowledge and beliefs towards universal safety precautions during COVID-19 pandemic among the general public in India. METHODS Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based online survey was conducted among the general public in India during March 2020. A 20-item validated, a self-administered survey questionnaire was developed and randomly distributed among the public using Google Forms through social media networks. Descriptive statistics were used in representing the study characteristics, and the Chi-square test was used in assessing the associations among the study variables with a p-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS Results: Of 1287 participants, 1117 have given their consent of willingness and completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 86.8%. The mean age of the study participants was 28.8 ± 10.9 years, and based upon the socio-demographic information, the majority were post-graduates (32.9%), professional job holders (45%) and belonged to the upper-middle (40%) economic class. Overall, the average correct responses of knowledge (~63%) and beliefs (~83%) towards USPs and mitigating strategies among participants varied between moderate to high, with statistically significant associations with their socio-demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Conclusions: Although the knowledge and beliefs of the general public in India towards USPs are encouraging, there is a need for long-term educational interventions as the dynamics and severity of COVID-19 have been changing day-by-day rapidly. The findings of this study could guide the public health authorities in making and implementing decisions to combat this pandemic. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals Public’s Knowledge and Beliefs towards Universal Safety Precautions during COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal: A web-based Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-s) ◽  
pp. 133-141
Author(s):  
Deependra Prasad Sarraf ◽  
Pramendra Prasad Gupta ◽  
Shashi Keshwar
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Public ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been declared as a global pandemic. In the absence of vaccines or specific drugs for COVID-19, a better understanding and implementation of universal safety precautions is essential for the prevention of COVID-19 virus infection globally. People’s adherence to the universal precautions safety measures against COVID-19 is essential which is largely affected by their knowledge and belief. Objectives: To assess the public’s knowledge and belief toward the universal safety precautions during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional web-based online survey was conducted in general public in Nepal during April, 2020. A self-designed questionnaire was prepared using Google forms via docs.google.com/forms for the collection of the data. The study participants were grouped into two categories according to their level of knowledge: excellent (score 80% and above) and average (score less than 80%). Descriptive statistics mean, frequency and percentage were used to analyze the data. Results: Out of 228, majority were male (90.4%) and aged 36-45 years (36%). Mean knowledge score was 4.68±1.41. Most of them (57.9%) had average knowledge. Average of the correct responses in the knowledge and belief domain were found to be 66.9% and 71.2% respectively. Majority of the public (55.3%) believed that home-made alcohol-based hand sanitizer is equally effective to factory-made standard sanitizer against COVID-19 virus. Conclusion: Knowledge toward universal safety precautions against COVID-19 were average among the majority of the public. There was gap between knowledge and belief domain. There is an unmet need for long term educational interventions among the public regarding the preventive methods against COVID-19. Keywords: Knowledge; Belief; COVID-19; Nepal; Public; Universal safety precautions.

scholarly journals Socio-demographic correlate of knowledge and practice toward novel coronavirus among people living in Mosul-Iraq: A cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balsam Qubais ◽  
Rula mudhafar Al-Shahrabi ◽  
Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
World Health ◽  
P Value ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Background: Since the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a worldwide pandemic, as the Iraqi authorities have started responding and taking action to control the spread of the pandemic. The knowledge and practices of the public play an important role in curbing the spreading of the virus by following the health guidelines. This study aimed to assess the socio-demographic correlate of knowledge and practices of Iraqi living in Mosul-Iraq towards novel coronavirus during its rapid rise. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 909 participants was conducted among Mosul-Iraq between 20th June to 1st July 2020. The survey included three parts: 1) socio-demographic characteristics, 2) participants' knowledge, 3) participants' practices. T-test, ANOVA, chi-square, and binary logistic regression were used. A p-value less than 0.05 (p < 0.05) was considered statistically significant. Results: The results showed knowledge and practice mean score of (12.91\1.67) and (21.56\2.92) with cumulative knowledge and practice of 86% and 76% respectively towards 2019-nCoV. Socio-demographic characteristics such as age, marital status, gender, level of education and employment were statistically related with a higher mean score of knowledge and practice towards the virus as P<0.05. Conclusions: We concluded that the majority of the respondents demonstrate a high level of knowledge and practices towards 2019-nCoV except respondents with socio-demographic characteristics such as those who were younger, male respondents, those with lower education and those unemployed as such campaigns that will increase the knowledge and encourage adequate preventive practice towards 2019-nCoV should be targeted towards this group.

Knowledge, Awareness and Anxiety towards Coronavirus Pandemic among Indian Parents: A Web-Based Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Neha Agarwal ◽  
Alpa Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Public ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
P Value ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean

Introduction: Nation-wide lockdown imposed to curtail the COVID-19 infection spread is possibly, a source of anxiety among general public. Effectiveness of these measures depends upon people’s knowledge and awareness. Aim: To determine knowledge, awareness and anxiety towards coronavirus pandemic among Indian parents of children aged less than eighteen years, and behavioural changes in the children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 4th May to 16th May 2020. Online questionnaire consisted of demographic details, items on knowledge and awareness, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD 7) score, parental reporting of behaviour changes in children. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted. The p-value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Of the 121 individuals accessing the survey, 85 (54 males; mean age 38.1±5.9 years) and 31 females; mean age 37.9±7.4 years consented to participate. The mean age of their children was 7.5±4.7 years. The major source of information was internet (84.7%). Mild anxiety was observed in a significant proportion of the participants 76.5% while severe anxiety in 8.2%. Around 41.2% parents noticed behavioural changes in their children; with addiction to mobile and video games (61.2%) being the most common change. Among the various coping methods, finding preventive ways to getting infected was opted by the majority (83.5%). The mean GAD 7 score was 7.4±4.0. Statistically significant difference in the GAD was observed among parents differing in the gender {F(2, 82)=3.275, p- value 0.043} and their opinion on behavioural changes observed in their children {F(2, 82)=4.697, p-value 0.012}. Conclusion: High level of increased awareness among general public towards the current pandemic and the ways to tackle the situation calmly is crucial in preventing both the short- and long-term mental health complications anxiety among Indian parent’s influences child’s mental health.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 among the general public in Tamil Nadu, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1935
Author(s):  
Aravind Sunderavel Kumaravel Kanagavelu
Keyword(s):  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
P Value ◽  
Social Variables ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Attitude And Practice ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
The Government ◽  
Knowledge Attitude And Practice

Background: COVID-19 has caused around a million deaths throughout the world and despite the prompt lockdown and rigorous efforts from the government and health authorities, the case numbers in India were still staggering. To explore this furthermore, our study was formulated and aimed to find out the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among the public in Tamil Nadu.Methods: A cross-sectional, online survey on the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted among the public from 21st July 2020 to 3rd August 2020. The survey questionnaire was semi-structured with questions split into four categories on bio-social variables and questions assessing the KAP towards COVID-19. The data analysis was done using RStudio and Jamovi software and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Among the 1008 valid responses, the knowledge was higher among the degree holders, the HCWs and those living in apartments, compared to their respective counterparts. With the increase in age, the attitude was more positive. Degree holders, HCWs and working participants had better practice habits than their respective peers. Knowledge, attitude and practice were significantly correlated with each other.Conclusions: It is evident from our study that better knowledge leads to a positive attitude and in turn reflects on better practice. Our study also revealed how education can be an effective tool in awareness and timely adaptation which might help health authorities to formulate plans based on the areas of improvement.

scholarly journals Young adults’ coping strategies against loneliness during the COVID-19-related quarantine in Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrianos Golemis ◽  
Panteleimon Voitsidis ◽  
Eleni Parlapani ◽  
Vasiliki A Nikopoulou ◽  
Virginia Tsipropoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Cross Sectional

Summary COVID-19 and the related quarantine disrupted young adults’ academic and professional life, daily routine and socio-emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study focused on the emotional and behavioural responses of a young adult population during the COVID-19-related quarantine in April 2020, in Greece. The study was conducted through an online survey. A total of 1559 young adults, aged 18−30 years, completed Steele’s Social Responsibility Motivation Scale and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and answered questions about compliance with instructions, quarantine-related behaviours and coping strategies. According to the results, participants displayed a relatively high sense of social responsibility (M = 16.09, SD = 2.13) and a trend towards moderate feeling of loneliness (M = 2.65, SD = 1.62); young women reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than men. The majority complied with instructions often (46.4%) or always (44.8%). Significantly more women created a new social media account and used the social media longer than 5 h/day, compared with men. Resorting to religion, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted higher levels of social responsibility; humour, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted lower levels of loneliness. Conclusively, COVID-19 is expected to have a significant psychological impact on young adults. Currently, Greece is going through the second quarantine period. This study raises awareness about loneliness in young adults during the COVID-19-related quarantine and highlights the importance of developing online programmes, attractive to younger people, to nurture adaptive coping strategies against loneliness.

scholarly journals A Cross-National Study of Dementia Stigma Among the General Public in Israel and Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Perla Werner ◽  
Sarang Kim
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
National Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Subjective Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cross National

Background: Despite the increasing amount of research on dementia stigma, there is a dearth of cross-national studies conducted on this subject. This is surprising since the experience of stigma is closely associated to socio-cultural aspects. Objective: The present study intended to expand knowledge about the impact of culture on dementia stigma by comparing the level and correlates of stigmatic beliefs about dementia among the general public in Israel and Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted with two age-matched samples: 447 adults in Israel and 290 adults in Australia. Results: Overall, dementia stigma was moderate in both countries. However, the level of dementia stigma was significantly higher in Australia than in Israel. Lower levels of subjective knowledge and higher levels of ageism were associated with increased levels of stigmatic beliefs in both countries. Gender was a significant correlate of dementia stigma, with male participants reporting higher levels of public stigma than women, although this gender difference was mainly driven by the Australian sample. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that providing knowledge and decreasing ageist attitudes should be key considerations in dementia awareness and stigma reduction campaigns despite the cultural context. In addition, developing gender-specific messages should be considered as a way of improving the effects of such campaigns.

scholarly journals Diabetes knowledge, risk perception, and quality of life among South Asian caregivers in young adulthood

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e001268
Author(s):  
Angela Koipuram ◽  
Sandra Carroll ◽  
Zubin Punthakee ◽  
Diana Sherifali
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Design And Methods

IntroductionPersons of South Asian descent have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The management of T2DM in the South Asian community has required the support of adult children, potentially impacting the quality of life, diabetes-related knowledge, and risk perception among these caregivers.Research design and methodsTo investigate diabetes-related knowledge, quality of life, risk perception, and actual risk of developing diabetes among South Asian young adults whose parents are living with T2DM. A cross-sectional study was conducted (n=150). An online survey was administered. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsThere was a statistically significant difference in diabetes-related knowledge between males and females (p<0.001). Males (in comparison to females) had a lower risk perception of developing diabetes (p=0.06). Further, risk perception and diabetes-related knowledge were positively associated with caregiver’s physical health (p=0.002).ConclusionFindings highlight the importance of providing gender-specific and culturally tailored diabetes educational interventions.

scholarly journals Examining Australian public perceptions and behaviors towards a future COVID-19 vaccine

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Seale ◽  
Anita E. Heywood ◽  
Julie Leask ◽  
Meru Sheel ◽  
David N. Durrheim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Individual Perceptions ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Early Indication

Abstract Background As immunisation program launches have previously demonstrated, it is essential that careful planning occurs now to ensure the readiness of the public for a COVID-19 vaccine. As part of that process, this study aimed to understand the public perceptions regarding a future COVID-19 vaccine in Australia. Methods A national cross-sectional online survey of 1420 Australian adults (18 years and older) was undertaken between 18 and 24 March 2020. The statistical analysis of the data included univariate and multivariable logistic regression model analysis. Results Respondents generally held positive views towards vaccination. Eighty percent (n = 1143) agreed with the statement that getting myself vaccinated for COVID-19 would be a good way to protect myself against infection. Females (n = 614, 83%) were more likely to agree with the statement than males (n = 529, 78%) (aOR = 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1–1.8); P = 0.03), while 91% of those aged 70 years and above agreed compared to 76% of 18–29-year-olds (aOR = 2.3 (95% CI:1.2–4.1); P = 0.008). Agreement was also higher for those with a self-reported chronic disease (aOR = 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1–2.0); P = 0.04) and among those who held private health insurance (aOR = 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3–2.3); P < 0.001). Beyond individual perceptions, 78% stated that their decision to vaccinate would be supported by family and friends. Conclusion This study presents an early indication of public perceptions towards a future COVID-19 vaccine and represents a starting point for mapping vaccine perceptions. To support an effective launch of these new vaccines, governments need to use this time to understand the communities concerns and to identify the strategies that will support engagement.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards vaccination: a survey of university students in Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Callegaro ◽  
L Chinenye Ilogu ◽  
O Lugovska ◽  
S Mazzilli ◽  
A Prugnola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Level ◽  
Coverage Rates ◽  
The University ◽  
Vaccination Knowledge

Abstract Background Immunisation programs are still facing substantial challenges in achieving target coverage rates. This has been attributed to the growing negative individual vaccination attitudes and behaviours. Most of the current studies assessing vaccination knowledge, attitude and beliefs targets adults. However, young people represent future parents and health care professionals. The objective of this study was to investigate vaccination knowledge attitudes and behaviours among university medical and non-medical students in Europe. Methods We performed a cross-sectional online survey between April and July 2018. The study participants were students attending different faculties at the University of Antwerp, Belgium and the University of Pisa, Italy. We described sample characteristics. The effect of risk factors was tested with univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Results A total of 2079 participants completed the survey including 873 medical students and 1206 from other faculties. The average of vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and confidence was respectively 5.51 (SD: 1.41), 4.66 (SD: 0.14) and 5.28 (SD: 0.57) on the 6-points scale. Our respondents demonstrated a high level of awareness with respect to their vaccination history. In total, 67.7% (n = 1407) reported to have received at least one vaccine in the previous five years; only 6.0% (n = 35) did not receive any vaccine in the previous 10 years. According to logistic regression analysis Italian students had significantly higher knowledge, attitude and confidence scores than Belgium respondents. Students of medicine scored significantly higher compared to non-medical students. Conclusions In order to reduce the gaps in vaccinations knowledge between non-medical and medical students we should plan educational interventions. In this way the number of future sceptical parents could be decreased. Further studies are required to explain the differences between countries. Key messages Young adults are the parents and the health care professionals of the future, for this reason their vaccination knowledge attitudes and behaviours should be carefully monitored. European non-medical students have lower vaccinations knowledge, attitudes and confidence compared with medical student. In order to fill these gaps, we should plan educational interventions.

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