The world is grappling with Covid-19, a dire public health crisis. Preventive and control measures are adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19. It is important to know the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of people towards this pandemic to suggest appropriate coping strategies. The aim of this study was to assess the KAP of Bangladeshi people towards Covid-19 and determinants of those KAPs. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 492 Bangladeshi people aged above 18 years from May 7 to 29, 2020 throughout the country. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors associated with KAP on COVID-19. About 45% of respondents had good knowledge, 49% of respondents expressed positive attitude towards controlling of COVID-19 and 24% of respondents had favorable practice towards COVID-19. Almost three fourths of the respondents went outside home during the lockdown period. Furthermore, the study found that good knowledge and attitude were associated with better practice of COVID-19 health measures. An evidence informed and context specific risk communication and community engagement, and a social and behavior change communication strategy against COVID-19 should be developed in Bangladesh, based on the findings of this study, targeting different socio-economic groups.

Background The world has been grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, a dire public health crisis, since December 2019. Preventive and control measures have been adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19. To date, the public’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 across Bangladesh have been poorly understood. Therefore, it is important to assess people’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward the disease and suggest appropriate strategies to combat COVID-19 effectively. Objective This study aimed to assess the KAP of Bangladeshi people toward COVID-19 and to identify their determinants. Methods We conducted a country-wide cross-sectional telephonic survey from May 7 to 29, 2020. A purposive sampling method was applied, and adult Bangladeshi citizens who have mobile phones were approached to participate in the survey. Interviews were conducted based on verbal consent. Multiple logistic regression analyses and several tests were performed to identify the factors associated with KAP related to COVID-19. Results A total of 492 of 576 Bangladeshi adults aged 18 years and above completed the interview, with a response rate of 85.4% (492/576). Of the 492 participants, 321 (65.2%) were male, and 304 (61.8%) lived in a rural area. Mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 10.56 (SD 2.86), 1.24 (SD 0.83), and 3.17 (SD 1.5), respectively. Among the 492 respondents, 273 (55.5%) had poor knowledge, and 251 (49%) expressed a negative attitude; 192 out of 359 respondents (53.5%) had poor practices toward COVID-19. Mean scores of knowledge, attitudes, and practices differed significantly across various demographic and socioeconomic groups. Rural residents had lower mean scores of knowledge (mean 9.8, SD 3.1, P<.001) and adherence to appropriate practice measures (mean 4, SD 1.4, P<.001) compared to their urban counterparts. Positive and statistically strong correlations between knowledge and attitudes (r=0.21, P<.001), knowledge and practices (r=0.45, P<.001), and attitudes and practices (r=0.27, P<.001) were observed. Television (53.7%) was identified as the major source of knowledge regarding COVID-19. Almost three-quarters of the respondents (359/492, 73%) went outside the home during the lockdown period. Furthermore, the study found that good knowledge (odds ratio [OR] 3.13, 95% CI 2.03-4.83, and adjusted OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.16-4.68) and a positive attitude (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.59-3.72, and adjusted OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.95-7.68) are significantly associated with better practice of COVID-19 health measures. Conclusions Evidence-informed and context-specific risk communication and community engagement, and a social and behavior change communication strategy against COVID-19 should be developed in Bangladesh based on the findings of this study, targeting different socioeconomic groups.

BACKGROUND The world has been grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, a dire public health crisis, since December 2019. Preventive and control measures have been adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19. To date, the public’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 across Bangladesh have been poorly understood. Therefore, it is important to assess people’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward the disease and suggest appropriate strategies to combat COVID-19 effectively. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the KAP of Bangladeshi people toward COVID-19 and to identify their determinants. METHODS We conducted a country-wide cross-sectional telephonic survey from May 7 to 29, 2020. A purposive sampling method was applied, and adult Bangladeshi citizens who have mobile phones were approached to participate in the survey. Interviews were conducted based on verbal consent. Multiple logistic regression analyses and several tests were performed to identify the factors associated with KAP related to COVID-19. RESULTS A total of 492 of 576 Bangladeshi adults aged 18 years and above completed the interview, with a response rate of 85.4% (492/576). Of the 492 participants, 321 (65.2%) were male, and 304 (61.8%) lived in a rural area. Mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 10.56 (SD 2.86), 1.24 (SD 0.83), and 3.17 (SD 1.5), respectively. Among the 492 respondents, 273 (55.5%) had poor knowledge, and 251 (49%) expressed a negative attitude; 192 out of 359 respondents (53.5%) had poor practices toward COVID-19. Mean scores of knowledge, attitudes, and practices differed significantly across various demographic and socioeconomic groups. Rural residents had lower mean scores of knowledge (mean 9.8, SD 3.1, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and adherence to appropriate practice measures (mean 4, SD 1.4, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) compared to their urban counterparts. Positive and statistically strong correlations between knowledge and attitudes (<i>r</i>=0.21, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), knowledge and practices (<i>r</i>=0.45, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and attitudes and practices (<i>r</i>=0.27, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) were observed. Television (53.7%) was identified as the major source of knowledge regarding COVID-19. Almost three-quarters of the respondents (359/492, 73%) went outside the home during the lockdown period. Furthermore, the study found that good knowledge (odds ratio [OR] 3.13, 95% CI 2.03-4.83, and adjusted OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.16-4.68) and a positive attitude (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.59-3.72, and adjusted OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.95-7.68) are significantly associated with better practice of COVID-19 health measures. CONCLUSIONS Evidence-informed and context-specific risk communication and community engagement, and a social and behavior change communication strategy against COVID-19 should be developed in Bangladesh based on the findings of this study, targeting different socioeconomic groups.

BACKGROUND The world has been grappling with COVID-19 since December 2019, a dire public health crisis. Preventive and control measures are adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19. To date, the public’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 across Bangladesh are poorly measured. Therefore, it is important to assess the KAP of people towards the disease and suggest appropriate strategies to combat COVID-19 effectively. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the KAP of Bangladeshi people towards COVID-19 and determinants of those KAPs. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 492 Bangladeshi people, based on purposive sampling technique, aged 18 years and above, from May 7 to 29, 2020, throughout the country. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed. Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to test the statistical inferences across socio-demographic and economic information and knowledge, attitude, and practice scores separately. Spearman’s rank correlation test was performed to assess the correlation of scores between knowledge-attitude, knowledge-practice, and attitude-practice. Finally, multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors associated with KAP on COVID-19. RESULTS About 45% of respondents had good knowledge, about 49% of respondents expressed a positive attitude towards controlling COVID-19, about 74% of respondents had a favorable practice towards COVID-19. Almost three-fourths of the respondents went outside the home during the lockdown period. Our study found that the level of KAP varies significantly across different demographic and socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, the study found that good knowledge and attitude are significantly associated with COVID-19 health measures' better practice. CONCLUSIONS An evidence-informed and context-specific risk communication and community engagement, and a social and behavior change communication strategy against COVID-19 should be developed in Bangladesh, based on the findings of this study, targeting different socioeconomic groups.