Knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 among people in Bangladesh: A telephonic cross-sectional survey. (Preprint)

Abstract

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.