Assessment of Knowledge, Perceptions and Perceived Risk Concerning COVID-19 in Pakistan

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of unmatched scale and severity. A continued state of crisis has been met with poor public adherence to preventive measures and difficulty implementing public health policy. This study aims to identify and evaluate the factors underlying such a response. Thus, it assesses the knowledge, perceived risk, and trust in the sources of information in relation to the novel coronavirus disease at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire was completed between March 20 and 27, 2020. Knowledge, perceptions, and perceived risk (Likert scale) were assessed for 737 literate participants of a representative sample in an urban setting. We found that respondents’ risk perception for novel coronavirus disease was high. The perceived risk score for both cognitive and affective domains was raised at 2.24 ± 1.3 (eight items) and 3.01 ± 1 (seven items) respectively. Misconceptions and gaps in knowledge regarding COVID-19 were noted. Religious leadership was the least trusted (10%) while health authorities were the most trusted (35%) sources of information. Our findings suggest that there was a deficiency in knowledge and high concern about the pandemic, leading to a higher risk perception, especially in the affective domain. Thus, we recommend comprehensive education programs, planned intensive risk communication, and a concerted effort by all stakeholders to mitigate the spread of disease. The first of its kind in the region, this study will be critical to response efforts against current and future outbreaks.

Consumers' purchase intention of wild freshwater fish during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…The consumption behaviors decreased due to the restriction of objective conditions, but the purchase intention of wild freshwater fish remained at a high level. In addition, Model 1 proved that there was a significant positive relationship between S1 (I am concerned about COVID‐19) and Risk (I think wild freshwater fish are unsafe); that is, the more consumers give importance to the COVID‐19 pandemic, the greater the perceived risk of wild freshwater fish, which is in line with previous research (Haque et al, 2021 ). Thus, H2 was partially confirmed.…”

Perceived Benefits Matter the Most in COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors: Empirical Evidence from Okara District, Pakistan

“…One of our central findings is that among all constructs of the HBM, Pakistani people in Depalpur are moved by the perceived benefits of COVID-19 prevention to comply with prevention guidelines issued by the WHO and the Ministry of Health in Pakistan. When compared to recent studies, the cues to action for the study participants could have been influenced by misinformation regarding the causes and treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, distrust in local government and media figures, misplaced assurance in the effectiveness of nonmedical treatments, and conspiracy narratives related to religious beliefs concerning a viral disease like COVID-19 [ 19 , 38 ]. A recent study in Macao, China, found that perceived susceptibility was the motivation for the participants to comply with prevention guidelines [ 39 ].…”

“…To complicate the matter, global health inequities in affordability and the timing of COVID-19 vaccine sales to low-income countries (in comparison with high-income countries) still leaves preventive measures such as social distancing and face coverings as the only means to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 [ 18 ]. A lack of trust in scientific facts, in favor of here-say and conspiracy theories, can be challenging to science-based interventions concerning COVID-19 [ 19 ]. A distrust in science may lead to an inability to learn or believe even the simplest facts about COVID-19.…”

“…In Pakistan and around the globe, pandemic fatigue coupled with low health literacy has created a public health crisis that necessitates the need for broader compliance with local and global guidelines for stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2 [ 19 ]. For public health practitioners to overcome this disease, it is necessary to understand what motivates a person’s compliance with preventive measures [ 24 , 25 ].…”

Determinants of Knowledge and Behaviours of Indonesian Health Care Providers toward the Prevention of COVID-19

“…Also, the study findings highlighted that the HCPs generally demonstrated good knowledge and prevention behaviors of COVID-19, which is in line with a study conducted by Yanti et al (2020), which suggests that 99% of Indonesian citizens had had good knowledge and behaviors of the COVID-19 prevention programs. Health care providers' knowledge is crucial in the pandemics period, including the current situation of the COVID-19 outbreak (Asemahagn, 2020;Qian et al, 2020;Viswanathan et al, 2020), in which the HCPs' high level of knowledge significantly influences the number of cases and the prevention of COVID-19 (Haque et al, 2021;Shen et al, 2021). The proper prevention behaviors among HCPs might be achieved through the experiences, particularly during the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.…”