Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices toward COVID-19 and Vaccines among Chinese Small-Town Residents: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

China has basically controlled the COVID-19 epidemic as a result of widespread vaccination and other containment strategies, despite localized outbreaks, as of September 2021. This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines among Chinese small-town residents to provide suggestions for public health policy. Residents who were vaccinated against COVID-19 were asked to complete a paper questionnaire on KAP in Xidian, Zhejiang. The knowledge questionnaire consisted of 12 questions regarding COVID-19 and 12 questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Attitude and practice evaluation included agreement on the eventual control of COVID-19 and having recently worn a mask outside. Of 405 survey responders, 52.3% were male, 71.4% had middle school education or less, and 59.0% engaged in physical labor as an occupation. The correct answer rates of the COVID-19 section and the vaccine section were 79.2% and 71.7%, respectively. Age groups of 18 to 29 years and > 50 years, occupations of physical labor and unemployment, and primary school education and less were associated with lower knowledge scores. The majority of participants (91.6%) believed that COVID-19 will eventually be controlled, whereas women, students, and patients with chronic held relatively negative attitudes toward epidemic control. Most participants (87.4%) wore masks outside recently. In conclusion, Chinese small-town residents have a medium level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 and vaccines, hold positive attitudes, and have appropriate practices. Health education should be provided to the target populations to enrich their knowledge of COVID-19 and vaccines, and to improve their attitudes toward epidemic control.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards community-acquired pneumonia and COVID-19 among general population: a cross-sectional study

“…These findings align with previous studies that emphasize the impact of knowledge and attitudes on health-related behaviors. Furthermore, the positive associations observed between education level and knowledge scores, as well as between monthly household income and practice scores, are in line with previous research demonstrating the influence of socioeconomic status on health outcomes and behaviors [ 34 ]. The lower knowledge scores observed among participants in business or service careers and other occupations may indicate disparities in access to health information and resources.…”

Was China's zero-COVID policy the right choice? The multiple factor analysis of variables that affected the course of COVID-19 pandemic in China

“…Medium level of vaccine-related knowledge has been noted among Chinese small-town residents. Moreover, most of the studied population wore masks outside and expressed an optimistic attitude toward the end of the pandemic ( 26 ). A survey study conducted on subjects suffering from rheumatoid arthritis confirmed the positive attitude of Chinese society toward the vaccination program, although it pointed out the low availability of vaccine doses as less than half of those willing to participate were vaccinated ( 27 ).…”