Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding “New Normal” Guidelines and Quality of Life Among Thai People During the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

In Thailand, strict prevention and control strategies have been implemented to mitigate the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “New normal” guidelines and a series of mobile health applications have been introduced by the healthcare sector and implemented to aid the disease control monitoring and prevention of widespread outbreaks. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding “new normal” guidelines and quality of life (QOL) among Thai people during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to determine the association between KA, QOL, and practices. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from 7 June to 12 September 2021 among Thai people in Public Health Region 6 aged ≥ 18 years old. Of the 506 survey participants, 80.3% were female, and 65.0% were 25–59 years old. The survey revealed that 52.2% of participants were classified as having more accurate knowledge, 58.9% were classified as having more positive attitudes, and 80.8% were classified as having more frequent practices regarding “new normal” guidelines, and 54.7% had high QOL. Of the participants, 93.7% agreed that “people who have been fully vaccinated should wear a mask while outside,” and 95.5% wore a face mask outdoors in crowded places. However, 60.9% of participants misunderstood some details regarding online applications for contact tracing and vaccination services, 44.2% felt that these applications were difficult to use, and 33.4% rarely or never downloaded or used these applications. In logistic regression analyses, accurate knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with higher education, being a government employee, monthly family income > 30,000 Thai Baht, and regular use of social media. More positive attitudes regarding “new normal” guidelines and high QOL were associated with positive practices. High QOL was associated with older age, and higher education. Enhancement of attitudes and QOL is also important for improving practices in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant factors identified in KAP will be crucial for developing effective prevention and control programs to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. To implement mobile health applications effectively, more work is required to improve the ease of use and promotion strategies.

Preventive Behaviors and Influencing Factors among Thai Residents in Endemic Areas during the Highest Epidemic Peak of the COVID-19 Outbreak

“…The finding on attitude levels showed that poor levels of COVID-19 attitude among Thai residents were found in risk perception and mistrust issues. This is in contrast with another study [33] that mentioned better attitudes regarding the "new normal" guidelines among Thai people during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the study of Kunno et al [34] found that the level of good (50.9%) and poor (49.1%) attitudes toward COVID-19 among healthcare workers in the urban community of Bangkok, Thailand, were approximated.…”

“…The income variable of residents was significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors in this research, consistent with various studies [33,43]. Income levels are closely related to the preventive behavior of infectious diseases, and higher-income residents can obtain better and more accurate health information than their counterparts [43].…”

Health-Risk Behaviors, COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors, and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working-Age Population of Bangkok, Thailand

“…Knowledge about COVID-19 also influenced COVID-19 preventive behaviors among the people of working age in this study. We discovered that the working-age population had high levels of knowledge about COVID-19, suggesting that knowledge about COVID-19, particularly among working-age Thais, is crucial for combating the COVID-19 pandemic [ 4 , 11 , 27 ]. Consistent with prior research, our findings indicated a positive correlation between COVID-19 knowledge and COVID-19 preventive behaviors [ 28 , 29 ].…”

“…However, confirmed cases and death rates in Thailand continue to increase, especially in crowded areas (e.g., large cities). Thai people have altered their actions and lifestyle choices to avoid contracting COVID-19 in what has been termed the “new normal”, which may be necessary to stop COVID-19 from emerging again in subsequent outbreaks and causing new COVID-19 pandemic waves [ 4 ].…”

Octa-Cluster: Different Perspectives on Quality of Life in Thailand

“…In addition, studies on the QOL in Thailand mostly fall into one of two categories: qualitative or quantitative (e.g., Jongudomkarn & Camfield, 2006;Kittipichai et al, 2015;Saladyanant et al, 2021;Tamornpark et al, 2022;Thongsing et al, 2020;Vutyavanich et al, 2007;Waewwab et al 2022;Yodmai et al, 2021), there are some exceptions (e.g., Mormon et al, 2021;Pheap & Sripokangkul, 2017). Our study uses both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine quality of life across a number of domains.…”