Level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 health protocols in the tourism sector in Taro village before and after counseling

Abstract

Introduction: Taro village has a higher risk of gathering the people since it is one of the most popular tourism sectors in Bali hence increasing the potential to spread coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The level of knowledge plays an important role in determining whether the society is ready to implement the health protocols or not. This community service aims to evaluate the level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 health protocols in the tourism sector in the Taro village. Method: This research was conducted using a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design in Taro village, Bali. Respondents filled out the questionnaire before and after counseling. The questionnaire consisted of 10 items of knowledge. The participants were Taro’s residents who met inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 31 respondents were taken. The data were tested for normality with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and analyzed with paired T-test using the IBM SPSS statistics version 25. Significance was determined at a 5% level (P-value ≤0.05). Results: A total of 31 valid filled-questionnaires were collected. In general, Taro’s residents’ knowledge regarding COVID-19 health protocol in the tourism sector was sufficient, but some topics are still insufficient. The mean score before counseling was 79,03 ± 1,340 while the mean score after counseling was 86,13 ± 1,366. There was a significant difference (p<0,05) on level of knowledge (p=0,000) before and after counseling. Conclusion: There was a significant difference in the level of knowledge of Taro village’s residents toward COVID-19 health protocols in the tourism sector before and after counseling.