Awareness among general public of India towards COVID-19 pandemic: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study
Abstract Background: Control of a pandemic is influenced considerably by practices followed by the general public which in turn is supposed to be influenced by the knowledge and its attitude. The study intended to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) among the general public of India towards transmission of COVID-19.Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was prepared from the awareness material available on the WHO and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India websites. The questionnaire contained 35 items (scored and un-scored both) in total (‘9’ from each viz KAP and ‘8’ to collect demographic details) and was sent to 600 people through e-mail for convenience sampling. The scores for KAP for an individual could range from 0-9, -5 to 5 and 0-8 respectively. Demographic variables were compared for scores attained and an association among KAP was measured.Results: A total of 229 volunteers representing different states/union territories were included in the analysis. The mean+SD scores attained for KAP were 3.9+1.9, 2.6+2.1, and 5.9+1.9 respectively. Around 39.7% of the individuals had adequate knowledge (score >50% of the maximum), 82.1% showed positive attitude (score >0) and 82.9% revealed appropriate practices (score >50% of the maximum). The scores attained by different age groups and genders were comparable. A fair correlation between KA, KP, and a good correlation between AP was found. The associations of KAP with each other were statistically significant (p<0.001).Conclusion: A positive attitude and appropriate practices were seen in the majority whereas adequate knowledge was there in a fair number of participants. Overall awareness among the general public of India was satisfactory.