Knowledge, Attitude, and Self-Reported Practice Toward Measures for Prevention of the Spread of COVID-19 Among Ugandans: A Nationwide Online Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: The world is facing the Coronavirus pandemic, which is highly infectious. Several measures have been put in place to prevent its spread among the population. However, for these preventive measures to be effective, the population requires appropriate and sufficient knowledge, attitude, and practices. Thus, a survey to assess knowledge, attitude, and self-reported practice toward measures for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 was conducted among Ugandans.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among during the lockdown in Uganda. An online structured questionnaire was used, applying a snowballing sampling approach for recruitment of participants 18 years and above and residing in Uganda. Data collection was done from 6th to 15th April 2020, during which 1,763 people participated. We analyzed all data using STATA 14.2, applying appropriate statistical tests.Results: Out of 1,763 participants, 80% were highly knowledgeable. For attitude, 72.4% reported following recommendations given by the Ministry of health to prevent the spread of COVID-19; 89.0% were worried about contracting COVID-19 and 73.3% agreed that COVID-19 can be cured and 99.3% reported good practice toward measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to ordered logistic regression, health workers were 6 times more knowledgeable [aOR:6 (3.51–10.09), p < 0.001] followed by teachers [aOR:5.2 (2.6–10.32), p < 0.001]; students [aOR:3.2 (1.96–5.33), p < 0.001]. On the contrary, the drivers, business entrepreneurs, and security personnel had less knowledge.Conclusion: The results show that the participating Ugandans were knowledgeable and had a positive attitude and good practices. However, there is still a gap in knowledge among drivers, business entrepreneurs, and security personnel. Therefore, there is a need to mobilize the country's population to have the same degree of knowledge, which will have an impact on the attitude and practices toward prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards COVID-19 Among Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Thus, while some have reported adequate knowledge, good attitude, and practice, many others have found the opposite trends. Besides, studies involving different societal groups or populations have also reported diversity in KAP towards COVID-19 [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and gaps in these traits among various populations. 13,15,18,30 Besides, some studies also suggest that the response to these traits may depend on gender, age, or profession.…”

“…38 However, in the study of Peng in China, while most undergraduates acquired the necessary knowledge, positive attitude, and proactive practice in response to the pandemic outbreak, their KAP scores varied significantly by gender, medical major, and school types. 32 In the general population, respondents have exhibited overall good knowledge regarding the covid-19 pandemic in countries including Saudi Arabia, 20,22,23,48 Egypt, 24 India, 25 China, 26 Malaysia, 27 Uganda, 28 and the USA. 29 However, while in the majority of these countries, satisfactory knowledge was partly linked to the positive attitude and sensible practices, 28 in some countries, these trends were observed together with poor practice 24 or exhibited gaps in knowledge among certain groups such as drivers, business entrepreneurs, and security personnel.…”

“…32 In the general population, respondents have exhibited overall good knowledge regarding the covid-19 pandemic in countries including Saudi Arabia, 20,22,23,48 Egypt, 24 India, 25 China, 26 Malaysia, 27 Uganda, 28 and the USA. 29 However, while in the majority of these countries, satisfactory knowledge was partly linked to the positive attitude and sensible practices, 28 in some countries, these trends were observed together with poor practice 24 or exhibited gaps in knowledge among certain groups such as drivers, business entrepreneurs, and security personnel. 28 A study from three countries in the Middle East found good knowledge toward disease prevention and control and a lower knowledge score toward disease transmission.…”

“…29 However, while in the majority of these countries, satisfactory knowledge was partly linked to the positive attitude and sensible practices, 28 in some countries, these trends were observed together with poor practice 24 or exhibited gaps in knowledge among certain groups such as drivers, business entrepreneurs, and security personnel. 28 A study from three countries in the Middle East found good knowledge toward disease prevention and control and a lower knowledge score toward disease transmission. 39 Postgraduate education may help to create best practices for maximizing pharmacists' effectiveness in future emergencies.…”

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Security and Safety Workers Toward the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Yet another investigation demonstrated a moderate knowledge level (55.0%) on COVID-19 transmission and preventive measures in the general population in Saudi Arabia ( 24 ). In contrast, a cross-sectional study in Uganda described a lack of knowledge among certain population groups (drivers and security agents) on the prevention of the spread of the disease ( 26 ). Also, Sarfaraz et al ( 27 ) assessed the knowledge and attitude of dental health practitioners from 23 different countries across the world, indicating a lack of knowledge (4.19 ± 1.88 out of 12) in dentists about the fundamental aspects of disinfection protocols.…”