Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Towards COVID-19 Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women in Rural Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective To identify knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 among pregnant and postpartum women in rural Bangladesh, and to assess any association with antenatal care attendance (ANC). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Northern Bangladesh’s Sherpur district with a sample of pregnant and post-partum women enrolled in ‘Poriborton’, a community-based cluster Randomised Controlled Trial. Knowledge, attitude, and practices toward COVID-19, and any association with antenatal care practices were assessed through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Composite measures for knowledge, attitude, and practices of COVID-19 were generated. Specific knowledge on COVID-19 and the association of antenatal care were presented as descriptive statistics. An adjusted odds ratio was used to examine the association between categorical variables. Results Out of 4835 women, 34.0% correctly identified five or more COVID-19 symptoms, 31.8% knew three or more modes of coronavirus transmission, and 57.0% knew five or more preventive measures. Most (90.1%) had a “more positive attitude to testing” and 65.1% reported adequate practice of preventive measures. Women with adequate knowledge of COVID-19 were more likely to report both a positive attitude to testing (OR:2.96; 95% CI: 1.38–6.37) and adopt adequate practices of preventive measures (OR: 4.30;95% CI: 2.90–6.36). Education and being employed influenced KAP related to COVID-19. Only 14.9% were satisfied with their knowledge of COVID-19. Television was the main source of COVID-19-related specific information. Conclusions We found that improved knowledge was associated with positive attitudes and behaviours that lead to the adoption of preventive measures. There was no association with ANC practices as attendance was very low in this region. The findings could be utilised to develop communication strategies for future public health emergencies in similar settings.