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

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.

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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

10.1101/2020.03.31.20047126 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

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.

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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)

10.2196/preprints.19293 ◽

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

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

BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care ◽

10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-001268 ◽

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.

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The Public Attitudes, Concerns and Behaviors towards Children Vaccination

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i1331264 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 39-43

Author(s):

Nehad J. Ahmed ◽

Abdulrahman S. Alrawili ◽

Faisal Z. Alkhawaja

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Active Role ◽

Arabic Language ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Public ◽

And Behavior ◽

Attitudes And Behavior ◽

Public Concerns

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the public concerns, attitudes and behavior towards vaccination. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study that included an online survey about the public concerns, attitudes and behavior towards vaccination in Saudi Arabia. The survey was translated to Arabic language and converted to an online form using google forms and after that it was sent to be filled by the parents. Results: About 92% of the respondents said that children should be vaccinated in order to protect them and about 86% of them believed that vaccinations are safe for children in general. Regarding the concerns about vaccination, about 69% of the respondents were concerned about the distress to children of the injection itself and 59% of them were concerned about the increasing number of vaccines recommended for children. Furthermore, about 62% of the respondents were concerned that vaccines are not tested enough for safety. Conclusion: The majority of respondents in this study reported positive attitude but more than half of them expressed some degree of concern regarding children vaccination. Healthcare professionals should play an active role in clarifying these concerns about vaccination with the public. Moreover, they should communicate with parents regarding the vaccinations and provide them with a trusted information about the vaccine.

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Knowledge, attitude, and practices towards COVID-19: a cross-sectional study among nursing and midwifery students in Jalingo, Nigeria

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20210791 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 1122

Author(s):

Hope Inegbenosun ◽

Clement Chinedu Azodo ◽

John Chukudi Anionye ◽

Collins Usunobun Inegbenosun ◽

Obinna Chukwunwike Njoku

Keyword(s):

Health Workers ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Running Water ◽

Preventive Practices ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Level Of Knowledge

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection rate and mortality among Nigerian health care workers appear to be on the increase. Aside from health workers, it has caused millions of infections and deaths worldwide. This study determined the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of nursing and midwifery students towards COVID-19 in a North-Eastern Nigerian state.Methods: A total of 156 respondents were involved in this institutional-based cross-sectional study, conducted after the lockdown period. A total of 17 questions were used to assess the KAP with knowledge appraised with 12 questions, attitudes with 2 questions, and practices with 3 questions.Results: The majority of the students (53.80%) possessed a good level of knowledge regarding COVID-19, while 40.4% had fair knowledge regarding COVID-19 with only 5.80% having poor knowledge of COVID-19. The mean knowledge of COVID-19 in this study was 9.40±1.353 with an overall 78% correct answer rate. A vast majority of the respondent (82.7% and 98.1%) had strong confidence in Nigeria and believed that the pandemic will soon be over, respectively. Only a few avoided large gatherings of people (30.8%) with the vast majority reporting to have worn a mask when going out (84.6%) and washing their hands with running water and soap frequently as recommended (73.1%). In multiple logistic regression analyses, the COVID-19 knowledge score (OR: 0.39-0.40, 95%CI: 0.26 – 0.62, P<0.05) was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of negative preventive practices towards COVID-19.Conclusions: The participants in this study showed good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices toward COVID-19. There is still a need to strategize and implement periodic educational interventions and training on infection control practices among healthcare workers including students.

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Public’s view on myths related to COVID-19: a web-based cross-sectional study in Nepal

International Journal of Scientific Reports ◽

10.18203/issn.2454-2156.intjscirep20205496 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 50

Author(s):

Deeependra Prasad Sarraf ◽

Shashi Keswhar ◽

Pramendra Prasad Gupta

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vital Role ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The Social ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

Study Participants

Background: The global pandemic COVID-19 has created havoc. Various myths prevail among public that hamper them from adopting evidence based preventive measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and to seek timely health advice. The aim of the study was to find out the public’s view on myths related to COVID-19 in educated Nepalese population.Methods: A cross-sectional web-based online survey was conducted in educated public in Nepal during May, 2020. A self-designed questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic variables and 21 myths was prepared using Google forms via docs.google.com/forms. The responses were recorded on a 3-point scale (agree, disagree, do not know). The Google form link was sent to the study participants via the social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber. Descriptive statistics mean, frequency and percentage were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 22. Results: Out of 270, 33.7%, 33.3% and 37% participants agreed that eating lemon, turmeric and garlic prevents us from COVID-19 respectively. Thirty seven percent participants believed that spraying bleach or disinfectant into our body will protect us against COVID-19. The overall view of participants toward the myths related to COVID-19 was ‘agree’ (17.3%), ‘disagree’ (59.2%) and ‘don’t know’ (23.5%).Conclusions: Myths regarding COVID-19 prevailed among majority of the participants in this study. There is an urgent need to educate the public regarding various preventive approaches for COVID-19 issues. Media and government agencies have a vital role in creating awareness to adopt evidence-based facts.

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The use of olive oil for skin health in a Saudi population: a cross-sectional study

Dermatology Reports ◽

10.4081/dr.2021.9364 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Faisal Alnemer ◽

Raed Aljohani ◽

Abdulrahman Alajlan ◽

Mohammad Aljohani ◽

Ibrahim Alozaib ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Olive Oil ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Female Gender ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Average Score ◽

Attitude Score ◽

Educational Organizations ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

The use of topical olive oil (OO) for skin health is common among Saudis and worldwide. Therefore, this cross-sectional study is aimed at assessing the use of topical OO for skin health among Saudis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was administered to Saudis at four different malls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 401 participants were enrolled in the study. The results showed that the average knowledge score of the participants was 3.4±0.3 (out of 5) and 87% had fair knowledge. The top source of knowledge among the participants was friends/relatives. In the attitude section, the average score was 4.1±0.5 (out of 5). Females had a higher attitude score 4.2±0.5 as compared to males 4±0.5 (P=0.03). The most common reason for using topical OO among the participants was skin moisturizing (73%). Female gender was the only significant factor associated with the use of topical OO (P < 0.001). The use of topical OO for skin health is highly prevalent in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, more awareness of the benefits and adverse effects of topical OO use is required especially from health educational organizations. The preliminary results of this study suggest further research with a larger sample in an academic setting across the nation.

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Assessment of Knowledge and Compliance to Evidence-Based Guidelines for VAP Prevention among ICU Nurses in Tanzania

10.21203/rs.3.rs-117804/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Vicent Bankanie ◽

Anne Outwater ◽

Li Wang ◽

Li Yinglan

Keyword(s):

Nursing Education ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Local Context ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Effective Measure ◽

The Mean ◽

Evidence Based Guidelines

Abstract Background: Implementation of evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) related to VAP is an effective measure for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). While low knowledge regarding the EBGs related to VAP prevention among ICU nurses is still a major concern among nurses in ICUs globally, the situation in Tanzania is scarcely known. This study aimed to assess the ICU nurses’ knowledge, compliance, and barriers toward evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of VAP in Tanzania.Methods: A cross-sectional study, involving ICU nurses of major hospitals in Tanzania, was conducted. A structured questionnaire was administered among 116 ICU. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and independent t-test.Results: The mean knowledge score was 38.6% which is lower than the lowest ever reported knowledge score for EBGs for VAP prevention. Nurses with a degree or higher level of nursing education performed significantly better than the nurses with a diploma or lower level of nursing education(p=0.004). The mean self-reported adherence score for EBGs for the prevention of VAP was 60.8%. The main barriers to the implementation of EBGs for VAP prevention were lack of skills (96.6%), lack of adequate staff (95.5%), and lack of knowledge (79.3%).Conclusion: Considering the severity and impact of VAP, and the higher risks of HAIs in resource-limited countries like Tanzania, the lower level of knowledge and compliance implies the need for on-going educational interventions and evaluation of the implementation of the EBGs for VAP prevention by considering the local context.

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Awareness and Attitude of Undergraduate Medical Students towards 2019-novel Corona virus

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.12669/pjms.36.covid19-s4.2636 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (COVID19-S4) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Azal Ikhaq ◽

Hunniya Bint E Riaz ◽

Imtiaz Bashir ◽

Farhat Ijaz

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Creative Commons ◽

Corona Virus ◽

Positive Attitudes

Objective: To assess the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of medical students towards recently discovered coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted on medical students in CMH Lahore Medical College,(LMC), Institute of Dentistry (IOD). A questionnaire containing demographic information, 14 knowledge and eight attitude items was completed by 384 participants. Results: Overall, >90% people were aware about the etiology, mode of transmission and possible symptoms; however, very few of them knew about the in-depth details. Knowledge score revealed that 80% of participants had sufficient knowledge about coronavirus. MBBS students and nursing Students had significantly better knowledge in comparison with other students. In terms of attitude, >80% of students showed positive attitudes among which the nursing students were dominant. Conclusion: The medical students of CMH LMC showed a satisfactory level of awareness and attitudes towards COVID-19 with an obvious difference with regard to disciplines. More educational efforts with periodic educational interventions are still needed about the current pandemic. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2636 How to cite this:Ikhlaq A, Bint-e-Riaz H, Bashir I, Ijaz F. Awareness and Attitude of Undergraduate Medical Students towards 2019-novel Corona virus. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2636 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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The effect of the 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak on social relationships: A cross-sectional study in Jordan

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0020764020966631 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002076402096663

Author(s):

Abdallah Y Naser ◽

Hadeel T Al-Hadithi ◽

Eman Zmaily Dahmash ◽

Hassan Alwafi ◽

Salwan Salah Alwan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Relationships ◽

Online Survey ◽

Family Members ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Average Score ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Distancing ◽

The Social ◽

Educational Campaigns

Background: Social relationships refer to the existing associations between family members, friends, neighbours, co-workers, and other associates. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing has been imposed by the curfew program in Jordan. Aim: To evaluate the effects of social distancing on the social relationships of the Jordanian population. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in Jordan between the 6th and the 30th of May, 2020. Our questionnaire was constructed to explore the population’s perception of the quarantine period, how it is affecting their relationship with others, and the characteristics of their social relationships and communication with various population categories, including family members and work colleagues. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of better social relationships and communication. Results: A total of 4,301 participants were involved in this study. The average score of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on social relationships among the whole study population was 5.68 (SD: 2.33) out of 10 (equal to 56.8%), which indicates the marginal strength of the social relationships. Around 31.6% of the participants reported that their social relationships were affected to a high degree by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants who were aged 36–45 were positively affected in terms of their social relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively affecting social relationships, which could ultimately lead to negative health implications. Decision-makers are advised to provide educational campaigns that improve the sociological health of the general population.

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