Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Coronavirus Pandemic Among Public in Saudi Arabia

Predicting Public Cooperation with Face Covering at the Early Phases of COVID-19: Building Public Trust, Confidence, Knowledge Through Governmental Two-Way Symmetrical Communication

Despite the agreement on the importance of two-way communication during governmental response to pandemics, few studies provided empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of such communication strategy in times of a public health crisis. Integrating the concept of two-way symmetrical communication and the Trust, Confidence, and Cooperation model (the TCC model), this study investigates how strategic communication practices, in particular two-way symmetrical communication, is related to public's perceived trust and confidence in governments (i.e., CDC in this study), and how these perceptions may affect decisions to comply with the preventive behaviors (i.e., face covering in this study), while taking the moderating role of knowledge into consideration. An online survey was conducted with 502 participants who were living in the United States in early April 2020. The findings showed that two-way symmetrical communication may increase public trust and confidence in governments, and improve individuals' knowledge about the pandemic, which all subsequently leads to compliance with recommended behaviors. The results contribute to the theoretical understanding of pandemic communication and provide implications for practitioners in pandemic management, suggesting that health institutions should adopt two-way symmetrical communication practices in respond to public health emergencies.

Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change

Exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) news pandemic is inevitable. This study aimed to explore the association between exposure to COVID-19 news on social media and feeling of anxiety, fear, and potential opportunities for behavioral change among Iranians. A telephone-based survey was carried out in 2020. Adults aged 18 years and above were randomly selected. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to collect information on demographic variables and questions to address exposure to news and psychological and behavioral responses regarding COVID-19. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between anxiety, fear, behavioral responses, and independent variables, including exposure to news. In all, 1563 adults participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 39.17 ± 13.5 years. Almost 55% of participants reported moderate to high-level anxiety, while fear of being affected by COVID-19 was reported 54.1%. Overall 88% reported that they had changed their behaviors to some extent. Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media was the most influencing variable on anxiety (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.62-3.04; P < 0.0001), fear (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.49-2.56; P < 0.0001), and change in health behaviors (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.28-3.19; P = 0.003) in the regression model. The fear of being infected by the COVID19 was associated with the female gender and some socioeconomic characteristics. Although exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media seemed to be associated with excess anxiety and fear, it also, to some extent, had positively changed people's health behaviors towards preventive measures.

Identification of new cases of tuberculosis during the COVID-19 pandemic using model strategic management

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a world health problem that causes the third-largest death after cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. One of the causes of transmission of environmental factors is controlling the mobilization of individuals suffering from tuberculosis. This research aims to develop a strategic model of finding new TB cases based on region. Method: This descriptive research utilizes primary and secondary data. Variables consist of geographical and demographic characteristics, resources, tuberculosis prevalence, and indicators of tuberculosis response processes. The TB management planning model document is based on the experiences of health centers Perak Timur, Wonokromo, and Siwalankerto in maximizing TB case detection. Results: The management model outlines policies and procedures based on the variables. For example, the detection of new TB patients became a priority at the health center in Perak Timur. In contrast, the health center in Wonokromo focused on developing cadres and private practice physicians. Conclusions: This research provides an overview of the aspects that need attention and improvement by discovering different new cases in each region.  

Validity and Reliability of the COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior Scale

BACKGROUND

The aim of this research is to develop a scale that will evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of employees about COVID-19 and to test its validity and reliability.

METHODOLOGY

The methodological type of research was used between August-November 2020, under observation in organized industrial zones. Information was collected from a total of 543 employees. Confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis were performed for the value, item-total correlations and construct validity. SPSS 25.0 (IBM Inc., Armonk, NY, USA), Jasp 0.14 (University of Amsterdam) and Lisrel 9.1(Scientific Software International, Inc., Chapel Hill, NC, USA) programs were used in the analysis.

RESULTS

83.1% of the participants in the study are male, the average age is 37.4 ± 8.0, 76.1% are married, and 49.4% are high school graduates. The Cronbach alpha value of the COVID-19 information part is 0.86 in total, the contamination information dimension is 0.71 and the protection information dimension is 0.84. The COVID-19 attitude section consists of four sub-dimensions and 13 items classified within the framework of the health belief model. In summary, the goodness of fit values for the knowledge, attitude and behavior sections, respectively, are: RMSEA values 0.05, 0.03 and 0.04; CFI values 0.98, 0.98 and 0.99; GFI values 0.97, 0.97 and 0.99.

CONCLUSIONS

It has been determined that the internal consistency of the COVID-19 knowledge, attitude and behavior scale conducted on employees is high and compatible, and its validity findings are sufficient. The scale is recommended as an applicable tool to measure COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes and behaviors.

COVID-19-Related Awareness and Behaviors of Non-Saudi Travelers and Their Satisfaction with Preventive Measures at Saudi Airports

Airports could serve as hotspots for the spread of the COVID-19 infection. We aimed to assess the awareness, attitude, and behaviors of non-Saudi travelers about COVID-19 and their satisfaction with preventive measures at Saudi airports. A cross-sectional study was conducted among non-Saudi travelers arriving in Saudi Arabia at two international airports. Data were collected using a questionnaire in Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu languages. Awareness, attitude, behavior scores, and satisfaction levels were calculated. Linear regression analyses were done to assess the predictors of awareness, attitude, and behaviors. A total of 633 participants were included in the study. The mean awareness, attitude, and behavior scores were 16.3/22, 18.3/24, and 3.2/5, respectively. Nationality, education, and income were significant predictors of awareness. Nationality was the only significant predictor of attitude, while gender and nationality were predictors of behaviors. Overall satisfaction with preventive measures was: transportation (94%), lounges and corridors (96%), counters (98%), and airport staff (97%). There was overall good awareness and attitude among travelers. Behavior scores were relatively low, which needs to change as air travel poses a threat to the spread of infectious diseases. Airport authorities need to manage passengers properly to ensure adequate distancing to prevent the potential transmission of infections.

COVID-19 preventive behavior among university students in Southeast Asia: Effects of knowledge, concern, awareness, and perceived risk

The persistent rise of pandemics across the globe in recent times has led to the prescription of several collaborative preventive strategies to reduce the effect that the pandemic has on public health. Consistent monitoring and surveillance appear to be the only available approach to detecting and classifying the issues of public health threats. Global pandemic threats demand public co-operation to take preventive actions at a personal level so that the risk of infectious diseases can be contained. Said that, this study explored the influence of awareness of precaution measures (APM), concerns about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (CAC), knowledge of COVID-19 (KOC), and perceived risk (PRK) on preventive behavior (PRB), as well as the effect of age and gender on the relationships among the studied variables. Quantitative data were collected from 551 university students across Malaysia and Vietnam through field survey and online survey, respectively. The data collection was performed from 13 March to 23 March 2020. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis. The multiple group analysis (MGA) technique was applied to compare the data retrieved from the respondents based on age and gender. The results revealed that APM, CAC, KOC, and PRK on PRB significantly influenced PRB toward COVID-19. In light of the two personal factors, age and gender, significant variances were noted for age and KOC, while PRK on PRB on the PRB toward COVID-19. Based on the study outcomes, APM emerged as the most significant predictor of PRB, followed by PRK on PRB, and CAC. Since a large fraction of the world reside in rural areas and have high-level interaction with animals, the provision of education at all level can harness the attitude to adopt PRB toward COVID-19. As such, policymakers need to work with the young generation so that the latter may serve as change agents to spread the message of taking precautions and adopting effective PRB toward COVID-19.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices [KAP] toward COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in the New York Metropolitan Area and California Bay Area

OBJECTIVE

The 2019 novel coronavirus [COVID-19] pandemic has necessitated the implementation of public health initiatives [PHI] to slow viral spread. We evaluated the effectiveness of PHI through a survey of COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes and practices [KAP].

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted primarily during stay-at-home orders in New York and San Francisco. A volunteer sample of 675 U.S. participants completed a KAP questionnaire after electronic distribution.

RESULTS

Participants had good knowledge and practices, but poor attitudes. Predictors of higher knowledge scores included white ethnicity, non-essential worker status, and healthcare worker status. Correlates with positive attitude included male gender, residence in California, higher annual income, and not utilizing radio or social media. Higher practice scores were predicted by female gender, non-essential and healthcare worker status, and information source.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in KAP were found among demographic variables. Determining what factors and sources of information drive reception of public health information can guide targeted intervention and advance equitable health education.

COVID-19 and Saudi Arabia: Awareness, Attitude, and Practice

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has transformed our appreciation of healthcare awareness worldwide. The amount of related data accumulated during this time has surpassed any other outbreak of a viral pathogen. Healthcare awareness is related to one of the nine pillars of the “World health organization (WHO) operational planning guidelines to support country preparedness and response”. This review is structured around the awareness/knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)-related publications in Saudi Arabia up to date to understand the impact of COVID-19 on these domains. The excellent communication effort response from governments, international, and individuals to keep the public informed about the outbreak is highlighted. Unraveling such impacts on the Saudi communities, including healthcare workers (HCWs)/professionals (HCPs), students, patients with different diseases, and non-professional individuals, is essential in containing the outbreak and planning preventive measures in case of future outbreaks.

Hospital Visitors’ Awareness and Adaptation of Preventive Measures for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus

Objective:

This study aims to assess the knowledge and awareness, and to identify the practice reflection of knowledge concerning Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on hospital visitor’s daily life.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study, conducted in 2 tertiary referral hospitals in Riyadh Saudi Arabia, from February 2015 to February 2016. A total random sample of 305 hospital visitors consented to participate. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire consisting of questions regarding awareness and practice of measures to prevent the spread of infection.

Results:

Study showed that participants have a fair knowledge regarding the cause of MERS (N = 228; 74.8%). Nearly half of them (47%) stated that camels are the source of the spread of MERS. Approximately 70% of the participants preferred both sanitization and wearing facemasks as preventive measures for MERS. However, only 3.95% practiced not eating camel products, such as milk and meat.

Conclusions:

Although hospital visitors showed some knowledge and positive awareness in several aspects of MERS awareness, there are weak areas where knowledge and awareness were not up to recommended guidelines. Continued educational programs are needed to improve awareness and knowledge of all the public toward MERS-coronavirus infection. This study may assist in the development of future strategies on preventive measures of the disease.

Knowledge about COVID-19 Best Practices in the North of Portugal and the Importance of Health Education in the Prevention of Pandemic Events

The rapid global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made COVID-19 one of the biggest pandemics of all time, with several devastating public health challenges. In this study, we investigated the knowledge towards COVID-19 best practices in the north of Portugal. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed with a convenience sample of the population of northern Portugal to assess their knowledge about COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and measures to prevent and mitigate pandemics. An online validated questionnaire was completed by 411 participants, from September to October 2020. Results: The overall correct knowledge was 81.3%, which indicates a good knowledge by the northern Portuguese respondents about COVID-19. The correct answer score differed considerably between men and women, being significantly higher among the latter (12.28 ± 1.22; p = 0.011). Moreover, the highest knowledge was observed in participants who attended high school or above (12.27 ± 1.21; p < 0.000). Conclusion: This study contributes to the analysis of COVID-19 knowledge by the northern Portuguese population, emphasizes the crucial role of health education in the control and mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides field-based evidence to prevent the next pandemic event.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Concerning COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study of Patients With Chronic Illnesses

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has posed a serious risk with pre-existing health conditions. This study was conducted to understand the knowledge, attitude, and practices concerning COVID-19 among patients with chronic illnesses in Bangladesh during the pandemic. The study was conducted in Khulna city of Bangladesh following a qualitative research design. We employed telephone interviews to collect data from 40 participants with four common pre-existing chronic illnesses (diabetes, hypertension, respiratory/asthma, and heart disease). Findings show that the majority of the participants had a moderate level of knowledge and an overall positive attitude regarding COVID-19 but appropriate safety practices were often ignored as the pandemic grows older. We also observed that the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 varied based on age, marital status, education, social class, and rural/urban residence. We concluded that improving medical advice/support, promotion of awareness through mass media, strict monitoring of protective measures and subsidies from the government, and self-consciousness could be effective strategies to mitigate the transmission of the disease and reduce risks for patients with chronic illness in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Physical Therapists toward COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia-A Cross-Sectional Study

To curb the COVID-19 pandemic, the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of preventive measures play an essential role, and healthcare workers have had to endure a burden to care for COVID-19 patients. Thus, this study aimed to assess the weight of the KAP of physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional study, where we circulated an online KAP questionnaire to 1179 physical therapists, and among those, 287 participated and completed the questionnaire. The collected responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analyses, and p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Both males and females participated in almost equal numbers; most of the participants were <40 years, had a bachelor’s level of education, and were from the central region of Saudi Arabia. Social media and the internet were the primary sources of COVID-19-related information (74.6%). Knowledge components A (92%) and B (73.9%) were excellent among most participants. Approximately half of the participants (50.5%) had a moderate attitude toward COVID-19, and regarding the practice component, most participants (74.6%) scored moderately. Correlation analysis showed a low positive relationship between knowledge A, attitude, and practice components. Still, there was a very low positive relationship between knowledge B, attitude, and practice components, but both were statistically significant. Our study showed that physical therapists in Saudi Arabia exhibit good knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19.

Sources of information among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The use of relevant sources of information and a high level of knowledge about risky behavior and ways of COVID-19 transmission are crucial for disease prevention and its spread. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess sources of information among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 373 students of the Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade. The anonymous questionnaire consisted of 3 parts: socio-demographic characteristics, information sources and the attitude towards available information about COVID-19. Questionnaire was available online during January 2021. Results: At the beginning of the pandemic, one third of the students were informed several times a day (37.5%), latter it would drop to being informed several times a week (33.8%) (p < 0.05). Television and official websites were stated as the main information sources during the pandemic. Students of IV - VI year of medical school significantly more often informed themselves from official websites in contrast to I - III year students (75.5% vs 61.6%, p = 0.014). More than 2/3 of the students stated that the information about the coronavirus is accurate and up-to-date, but only a third were satisfied with the information during the pandemic. Conclusion: A large number of arteriolosclerotic CSVD patients complain of different types of headaches. The results of this study should emphasize the importance of mass and social media to public health policymakers as the most common sources of public information, which can reduce the spread of inaccurate information that can affect people's behavior towards a pandemic. This study also accentuated the need to make the younger student population aware of the importance of using relevant and reliable sources of information.

Knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 epidemic preparedness and response among health care workers in Makkah city

Objective:

This study determined and examined the knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response measures by health care workers (HCWs) in Makkah city.

Methods:

This descriptive study used a quantitative method with a cross-sectional design. A survey (questionnaire) collected data from 251 HCWs working in 10 hospitals and 80 health care centers.

Results:

The total score for the knowledge level was high (range: 50–76, mean ± SD = 65.370 ± 4.805). There was a relationship between the participants’ workplace and education levels to the nature of the disease (p = 0.009*, 0.037*, respectively). Job descriptions were related to the transmission of the disease (p = 0.003*). The participants’ age groups and years of experience were also associated with their actions in suspected, probable, and confirmed cases (p = 0.015*, 0.03*, respectively). The HCWs’ knowledge of precautionary measures was not related to their demographic data, except for the education level shown (p = 0.037*).

Discussion:

A similar level of knowledge and awareness was detected in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh and Al-Jouf, the UAE, Vietnam, and Uganda. Further study is recommended to measure the factors affecting HCWs’ knowledge and awareness during an epidemic situation.

The Commitment of Nineveh Governorate Residents to the Precautionary Measures against Global 2019 Pandemic and Dermatological Affection of Precautions

The world has changed dramatically since the novel pandemic pours in all aspects of life, including economic, health, and social life. The first case was initially observed in the Wuhan province of China; fast spread occurs around the world. Until now, there is no proven effective treatment for it. The study's objectives are to assess residents of Nineveh governorate's commitment to the COVID-19 pandemic precautionary measures recommended by the WHO and Iraqi national authorities; the protective measures are used to prevent its spread and restrict the viral infectivity. Several cutaneous changes were observed in some persons as a result of prolonged contact with personal protective equipment and excessive use of personal hygiene measures.

Community Knowledge of and Attitudes towards COVID-19 Prevention Techniques in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

The purpose of the study was to assess the community knowledge of and to obtain a broad overview of attitudes towards appropriate prevention techniques that are recommended by the Ministry of Health to prevent COVID-19 transmission in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia between 1 May and 30 November 2020 to assess the community knowledge of and attitudes towards appropriate COVID-19 prevention techniques in Saudi Arabia. The study tool was developed based on an extensive literature review.

RESULTS

A total of 577 individuals were involved in this study. The majority of the participants knew that COVID-19 is classified as a severe acute respiratory syndrome, is caused by viral infection, and that it is more common among the elderly and those who have a chronic illness. More than half of the participants were able to identify the symptoms of COVID-19 correctly, which are fever, dry cough, and loss of taste. Approximately half the study participants were knowledgeable about appropriate distancing, handwashing, and preventive measures (e.g., wearing a cloth mask, smoking cessation, avoiding dangerous cultural behaviors that increase the probability of disease transmission). More than half of the study participants were able to identify the appropriate actions that should be taken if common COVID-19 symptoms appear.

CONCLUSION

A promising level of knowledge and positive attitudes towards COVID-19 was observed in Saudi Arabia. Continuous efforts should be maintained to sustain the level of awareness among the public. Further studies are warranted to explore the level of knowledge and attitudes after the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines.

Knowledge and attitude of dental professionals toward COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey

Background

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a life-threatening global pandemic. The dental profession is considered a high-risk group in the transmission of the responsible virus.

Objective

To assess the knowledge and attitude among dental professionals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of dental graduates, interns, postgraduates, and dental faculty from May to July 2020. A standardized questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge and attitude of 650 participants. The questionnaire comprised 14 questions to assess general knowledge about COVID-19, 11 questions regarding knowledge about prevention of COVID-19 in dental practice, and 10 questions regarding the attitude toward preventing COVID-19.

Results

Among the study population, only 376 (57.8%) knew the causative virus for COVID-19. Only 425 (65.3%) knew about rinsing the mouth with an antimicrobial solution or 1% hydrogen peroxide before the dental procedure. Regarding the hand hygiene guidelines, 357 (54.9%) had knowledge of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 377 (58.0%) about World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. At the time of our survey, 72% of the participants showed sufficient knowledge, while 28% had low or insufficient knowledge about COVID-19.

Conclusion

While there was a lack of knowledge among dental professionals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia about COVID-19, there was an excellent positive attitude toward preventing disease. Greater awareness is needed to control the spread of this disease.

Pandemic Awareness Scale (PAS): Evidence of Validity and Reliability in a Turkish Sample During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Public awareness is crucial in the prevention and management of the pandemic outbreaks. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a scale that measures individuals’ awareness on pandemic outbreaks. The study investigated psychometric properties of the Pandemic Awareness Scale (PAS) in a Turkish sample (n = 1303) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The exploratory-factor-analysis (EFA) results (n = 903) indicated a high internal consistency reliability (α = .89) and suggested one-factor structure. The factor structure was confirmed in a different sample (n = 400) by a confirmatory-factor-analysis (CFA). The CFA results indicated that the one-factor model fits the data well (x²/df = 3.79, GFI = .96, IFI = .97, TLI = .94, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .084). The results suggested that the PAS is a valid and reliable tool to measure Turkish individuals’ pandemic awareness level.

SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and transmission in swimming activities: Results from a retrospective cohort study

There is an urgent need for research on the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), as the transmissibility differs between settings and populations. Here we report on a questionnaire‐based retrospective cohort study of the prevalence and transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 among participants in swimming activities in Denmark in the last 5 months of 2020 during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Eight of 162 swimming activities with a SARS‐CoV‐2 positive participant led to transmission to 23 other participants. Overall, the percentage of episodes leading to transmission was 4.9% (competitive swimming 8.9%; recreational swimming 1.3%). Overall, the incidence rate of transmission was 19.5 participants per 100 000 pool activity hours (corresponding values: 43.5 and 4.7 for competitive and recreational swimming, respectively).

Compliance with precautionary restrictions was highest regarding hand hygiene (98.1%) and lowest in distancing personal sports bags (69.9%). As a result of low statistical power, the study showed no significant effect of restrictions.

Insight into the risk of transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 during indoor swimming is needed to estimate the efficiency of restrictive measures on this and other sports and leisure activities. Only when we know how the virus spreads through various settings, optimal strategies to handle the COVID‐19 pandemic can be developed.

Health knowledge, health behaviors and attitudes during pandemic emergencies: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

People with good health knowledge present a conceptual and objective appropriation of general and specific health topics, increasing their probability to express health protection and prevention measures. The main objective of this study was to conduct a rapid systematic review about the effects of health knowledge on the adoption of health behaviors and attitudes in populations under pandemic emergencies.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA checklist and the Cochrane method for rapid systematic reviews. Studies searches were performed in APA PsycNet, Embase, Cochrane Library and PubMed Central. Studies published between January 2009 and June 2020 and whose primary results reported a measure of interaction between health knowledge, health attitudes and behaviors in population groups during pandemics were included. A review protocol was recorded in PROSPERO (CRD42020183347).

RESULTS

Out of a total of 5791 studies identified in the databases, 13 met the inclusion criteria. The included studies contain a population of 26099 adults, grouped into cohorts of health workers, university students, clinical patients, and the general population. Health knowledge has an important influence on the adoption of health behaviors and attitudes in pandemic contexts.

CONCLUSIONS

The consolidation of these preventive measures favors the consolidation of public rapid responses to infection outbreaks. Findings of this review indicate that health knowledge notably favors adoption of health behaviors and practices. Therefore, health knowledge based on clear and objective information would help them understand and adopt rapid responses to face a pandemic.

Knowledge and Attitude Regarding COVID-19 among Students from Multiple Professional Background in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction:

Coronavirus disease 2019 is abbreviated as “COVID-19” caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus 2 first emerged in Wuhan, China, on December 2019. On 15^th of March, this disease has been classified by the World Health Organization as a pandemic and a global public health emergency.

Objective:

The study's aim was to evaluate the knowledge and behavior toward the virus among professional students of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methodology:

A cross-sectional study done on 753 students which were invited to complete a Google document using a 20-item electronic questionnaire that was design to gauge knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19. The study was conducted from February 20 to March 18, 2020 in Alkharj and Riyadh region.

Results:

The predominant sex is male (73%), the common age is <25 years old, more medical students were involved in the study than any other specialty and the predominant educational degree of the participants was bachelors. The awareness of mode of transmission of novel coronavirus infection is less in business administration participants compare to others and is highly significant (P ˂ 0.001). Most of the participants (588 [98%]) were aware of coronavirus but only 302 (50%) of respondents are aware of COVID-19 which is highly significant (P ˂ 0.001).

Conclusion:

The results are mostly uniform among different professional students with the exception of some knowledge-related questions. The Internet was the main source of information, so there is a need to create more awareness about COVID-19 through social media.

COVID-19 challenges and its therapeutics

COVID-19, an infectious disease, has emerged as one of the leading causes of death worldwide, making it one of the severe public health issues in recent decades. nCoV, the novel SARS coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has brought together scientists in the quest for possible therapeutic and preventive measures. The development of new drugs to manage COVID-19 effectively is a challenging and time-consuming process, thus encouraging extensive investigation of drug repurposing and repositioning candidates. Several medications, including remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, lopinavir, favipiravir, ribavirin, ritonavir, interferons, azithromycin, capivasertib and bevacizumab, are currently under clinical trials for COVID-19. In addition, several medicinal plants with considerable antiviral activities are potential therapeutic candidates for COVID-19. Statistical data show that the pandemic is yet to slow down, and authorities are placing their hopes on vaccines. Within a short period, four types of vaccines, namely, whole virus, viral vector, protein subunit, and nucleic acid (RNA/DNA), which can confer protection against COVID-19 in different ways, were already in a clinical trial. SARS-CoV-2 variants spread is associated with antibody escape from the virus Spike epitopes, which has grave concerns for viral re-infection and even compromises the effectiveness of the vaccines. Despite these efforts, COVID-19 treatment is still solely based on clinical management through supportive care. We aim to highlight the recent trends in COVID-19, relevant statistics, and clinical findings, as well as potential therapeutics, including in-line treatment methods, preventive measures, and vaccines to combat the prevalence of COVID-19.

Psychological impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the mode choice behaviour: A hybrid choice modelling approach

The COVID-19 pandemic is a pivotal moment in the history of mankind, which had a huge impact on the fast-paced world. The uncertainty associated with the plight of the pandemic, pushed the world towards a sense of insecurity and panic. Apart from the disease, the psychological problems connected to the lockdowns has caused an unprecedented change in the thought process of people towards travel. In the present study, we aim to statistically illustrate the change, the pandemic and lockdowns brought upon the travel mode choice behaviour. An Integrated choice and latent variable (ICLV) framework was adapted to understand the impact of the novel behavioural constructs, such as awareness of the disease and people's perception of the strictness of lockdown towards the mode choice in the post pandemic scenario. Different trip types were characterized according to the nature of the trip and their mode choice were assessed separately for the impact of the latent constructs. The results suggest that the awareness of the disease and the perception of strictness of the lockdown implemented play a major role in affecting the change of the mode choice of people. Further, the perception of safety in public transport, characterized by the social distancing and sanitization measures, determine the willingness of people towards the choice of public transit systems. The study concludes with a focus on the policies, which could be implemented for a safe travel in the post lockdown stage.

Assessing Knowledge and Practices of the Community towards Corona Virus Disease 2019 in Mbale Municipality, Uganda: Across Section Study

Background:

The Corona virus disease, first identified in Wuhan city, Hubei province of China, is a respiratory illness caused by Novel Corona Virus also known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS Cov.2). The disease is characterised by; dry cough and shortness of breath with difficulty in breathing and at least 2 of the following; fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of test and smell. Uganda in general and Mbale in particular has people of diverse culture, religion and ethnic background as well as diverse socio economic activities with various practices. This multi-cultural environment creates differences in perception of information and practices. Most cultures encourage socialisation through social functions like attending weddings, funerals, work places and gatherings and Muslims who have to go for congregation prayers in the mosques 5 times a day among others. This puts such communities at risk of spreading the disease very fast and slow in adapting to control measures

Aim:

In this study, we aimed at assessing knowledge and practices of the community towards COVID 19 in Mbale municipality.

Methods and Materials:

A cross section study was used; Data was obtained using a Questionnaires to a sample of 355 respondents and an observation tool was also used to observe behaviour patterns and practices of 776 participants towards the control measures of COVID-19.

Results:

There was a total of 355 respondents with 208/355 (58.59%) male and 147/355 (41.4%) female. 149/355(42%) possessed good knowledge, 131/355(36.9%) had moderate knowledge and 75/355(21%) had a little knowledge on COVID-19. Participants who were single and aged between 21–30 years were found to be more knowledgeable than other groups (P value=.001 and P value=.003 respectively). The source of COVID 19 information was mainly from television and radios 124/248 (50%) and social media 34/248 (21.8%) and the least source of information being 14/248(5.6%) and 9/248(3.6%) from health workers and Religious leaders respectively. 496/776 (64%) of the respondents observed, washed their hands and only124/776 (16%) of the respondents wore face masks. 98/776 (12.6%) were seen shaking hands and 15/776(2%) were seen hugging.

Conclusion:

Use of appropriate and well-designed Health education materials on radios, televisions and social media platforms like Facebook and twitter among others can be effective means of communication since they can reach the highest number of people. Ministry of Health should design ways for systematically integrating both political and religious leaders in Health Education Campaigns. Government should provide facemasks and enforce their use. A study to assess the ability of both political and religious leaders in health promotion campaigns should be carried out.

Knowledge and practice to prevent COVID-19 and its associated factors among pregnant women in Debre Tabor Town Northwest Ethiopia, a community-based cross-sectional study

Background

Coronavirus disease is now a global concern with the non-availability of antiviral treatment and attacks all groups of the population. Hence, applying preventive measures is the most critical intervention to control the infection. Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to respiratory pathogens because of their immunosuppressive state and physiological adaptive change during pregnancy. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess knowledge and practice to prevent coronavirus disease and its associated factors among pregnant women in Debre Tabor Town.

Methods

Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 participants from May 25–June 15, 2020. A simple random sampling technique was employed. Data were collected by face-to-face interview using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire and analysis using SPSS version 23. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out and p-value < 0.05 at 95% CI were considered as statistically significant.

Results

Overall 46.8 and 47.6% of women were knowledgeable and had good practice to prevent coronavirus respectively. Women’s age (15–24 years) (AOR = 4.85, 95% CI: 1.34–5.42), educational status (AOR:3.70; 95% CI: 1.16–5.40) being civil servant (AOR:2.84; 95% CI: 1.55–5.21), wanted pregnancy (AOR:3.37; 95% CI: 1.20–9.45), antenatal care follow-up (AOR:2.07; 95% CI: 1.03–4.13) were significantly associated with COVID-19 knowledge, whereas educational status (AOR:3.78; 95% CI: 1.19–5.11), number of children (AOR:2.89; 95% CI: 1.29–6.45) and knowledge (AOR:8.42;95% CI: 4.50–15.85), were also found to be statistically significant with practice.

Conclusions

Most of the participants had poor knowledge and inappropriate practice. Increasing health education programs via different media, coordinated and combined efforts of authorities and all individuals will be needed to battles the spread of the infection.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-021-03877-4.

Climatological and social fallacies about COVID-19 pandemic

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as a major global challenge since 2019. With the fast rise in the infected cases and deaths worldwide, many environmental and climate-related myths and fallacies spreaded fast. These fallacies include virus cannot spread in hot and humid conditions, cold weather can inhibit the virus, drinking hot water and sunlight can help cure the COVID-19, ultraviolet (UV) disinfectant lamps and UV rays from sunlight can kill the virus, use of hairdryers and hot showers for virus prevention, etc. Social norms and mindset of the people in the world towards a pandemic are quite similar. The primary purpose of this article is to enlighten the readers regarding these climatological misconceptions and social fallacies, helping spread proper knowledge and manage the outbreak of this deadly pandemic.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Indonesian Residents toward COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic. We examined the KAP's relationship with factors associated with practice toward the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. This cross-sectional survey study was conducted between March and April 2020 and included 1033 participants. Knowledge scores of COVID-19 were positively associated with wearing a mask when leaving home (odds ratio (OR): 1.22, p < 0.05). Although men had a lower knowledge score, they were less likely to go to a crowded place compared with women (OR: 0.79, p < 0.05). However, women (OR: 1.25, p < 0.05) were more likely than men to wear a mask when leaving home. Furthermore, men (OR: 3.32, p < 0.05) were more likely than women to have a positive attitude toward COVID-19. Indonesian residents had satisfactory knowledge, demonstrated a positive attitude, and followed appropriate practices toward the pandemic. More educated individuals had a more positive attitude. Men and women differed with respect to their knowledge-based practices. Men were less likely to go to crowded places, and women were more likely to wear a mask when leaving home. Furthermore, men were more likely to wear a mask when leaving home than women when men had the attitude that Indonesia can win against COVID-19.

Health Systems and Services During COVID-19: Lessons and Evidence From Previous Crises: A Rapid Scoping Review to Inform the United Nations Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery

This rapid scoping review has informed the development of the November 2020 United Nations Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery, by providing a synthesis of available evidence on the impact of pandemics and epidemics on (1) essential services and (2) health systems preparedness and strengthening. Emerging findings point to existing disparities in health systems and services being further exacerbated, with marginalized populations and low- and middle-income countries burdened disproportionately. More broadly, there is a need to further understand short- and long-term impacts of bypassed essential services, quality assurance of services, the role of primary health care in the frontline, and the need for additional mechanisms for effective vaccine messaging and uptake during epidemics. The review also highlights how trust—of institutions, of science, and between communities and health systems—remains central to a successful pandemic response. Finally, previous crises had repeatedly foreshadowed the inability of health systems to handle upcoming pandemics, yet the reactive nature of policies and practices compounded by lack of resources, infrastructure, and political will have resulted in the current failed response to COVID-19. There is therefore an urgent need for investments in implementation science and for strategies to bridge this persistent research–practice gap.

Does worriedness among the rural adults promote COVID-19 related awareness in Bangladesh?

People living in urban areas are usually more aware of their health issues due to the availability and accessibility of health care facilities. Several studies have illustrated anxiousness, attitudes, and perceptions among urban people during COVID-19. This research attempted to assess how worriedness among rural adults may promote COVID-19 related awareness in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional online survey of 311 respondents aged 18 or greater was conducted through Facebook focusing only on the people living in rural areas. The survey included a consent form and requested demographic as well as pandemic related information in a three-section questionnaire from the respondents. We used the chi-square test statistic for bivariate analysis and the binary logistic regression model along with some tools to validate the model to analyze the impact of worriedness on awareness. The bivariate result showed a significant association among regular hand washing (p=.007), knowledge about the proper amount of time for washing one's hands effectively (p=.004), rules of social distancing (p=.00), and education level (p=.046) with our outcome variable worriedness. From our binary logistic regression model fitting, it emerged that the females (p=.032, OR=.729) who regularly wash their hands (0R=.393, p=.023), know the rules of social distancing for “yes” (0R=14.525,p< .01), and “no” groups (0R= 5.518, p< .01), and age groups (18–27, 28 to 37, 38 to 47) were more worried. Results from our modeling justify an accuracy of 73.08%, a sensitivity of 93.71%, and a specificity of 29.33% with Cohen's kappa statistic = .2716, suggesting a fair model fitting. This study shows that the current COVID-19 situation created awareness among females and adults aged between 18 to 47 years in rural Bangladesh.

Egyptian school children awareness and precautions in Covid19 pandemic: a cross sectional survey study

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) is showing a wide global spread, and urgent joint international efforts is required to the control of this pandemic, the awareness of people towards infectious viruses still the main factor to limit the widespread of disease. The aim of this study is to assess the level of awareness and attitude towards COVID-19 among a sample of Egyptian school children, using a web-based questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 708 participants were involved in this online survey study, representing different areas in Egypt, 378 males (53.4%), 330 females (46.5%); their age range between 6 and 18 years. Regarding the residence, 576 (81.4%) were from urban areas, the remaining 132 (18.6%) were from non-urban areas. Internet and media were more frequent used as a source of information in urban students. The knowledge level score of risk and prevention of the disease were significantly higher in urban students than in non-urban students. Healthy practice score ≥ 50 were significantly more frequent in urban students. Healthy practice score was non-significantly higher in urban students.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the study participants of school students are knowledgeable about basic information, and have cautious preventive practices towards COVID-19, denoting the efficacy of the public health efforts. However, the lower level of awareness in non-urbans, indicating a need to address alternative channels to communicate with these populations.

Health literacy in the general population in the context of epidemic or pandemic coronavirus outbreak situations: Rapid scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this rapid scoping review, for which only studies from the general population were considered, was to describe the extent of existing research on HL in the context of previous coronavirus outbreaks (SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2).

METHODS

We searched major databases and included publications of quantitative and qualitative studies in English and German on any type of research on the functional, critical and communicative domains of HL conducted in the context of the three outbreaks in the general population. We extracted and tabulated relevant data and narratively reported where and when the study was conducted, the design and method used, and how HL was measured.

RESULTS

72 studies were included. Three investigated HL or explicitly referred to the concept of HL, 14 were guided by health behaviour theory. We did not find any study designed to develop or psychometrically evaluate pandemic/epidemic HL instruments, or relate pandemic/epidemic or general HL to a pandemic/epidemic outcome, or any controlled intervention study. Type of assessment of the domains of HL varied widely.

CONCLUSION

Theory-driven observational studies and interventions, examining whether pandemic-related HL can be improved are needed.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The development and validation of instruments that measure pandemic-related HL is desirable.

A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review of the Impacts of Coronavirus on Society and Culture

Little is understood of the social and cultural effects of coronaviruses such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). This systematic review aims to synthesize existing findings (both qualitative and quantitative) that focus on the social and cultural impacts of coronaviruses in order to gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a predetermined search strategy, we searched CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science to identify existing (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods) studies pertaining to the coronavirus infections and their intersection with societies and cultures. A narrative synthesis approach was applied to summarize and interpret findings of the study. Stemming from SARS outbreak in 2003, qualitative and quantitative findings (twelve adopted quantitative methods and eight exclusively used qualitative methods) were organized under five topical domains: governance, crisis communication and public knowledge, stigma and discrimination, social compliance of preventive measures, and the social experience of health workers. The selected studies suggest that current societies are not equipped for effective coronavirus response and control. This mixed-methods systematic review demonstrates that the effects of coronaviruses on a society can be debilitating.

COVID-19 in Bangladesh: measuring differences in individual precautionary behaviors among young adults

Aim

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is present in Bangladesh, and various control measures have been taken to flatten the epidemic curve. Due to the current demographic distribution in Bangladesh, young adults comprise almost one-third of the total population of the country. Therefore, their precautionary behavior is very important to ensure the success of preventive policies. This exploratory study examined the differences in the adoption of precautionary behaviors among young adults, and estimated and compared the predictors of precautionary behavior adoption among young adults living in the capital city Dhaka and a nearby district, Tangail.

Subject and methods

A total of 350 respondents from each district participated in the study. ANOVA and two-sample t-tests were utilized to detect differences in precautionary behavior across demographic groups of young adults, and quantile regression modeling was used to find the predictors of adopting precautionary behaviors and to compare these predictors between the two districts.

Results

Individuals who had a postgraduate education and had good mental health tended to show better precautionary behaviors in Dhaka. Female respondents from Tangail who had no psychological distress took precautionary behaviors more often than their male counterparts. However, no significant differences in the adoption of precautionary behaviors to prevent COVID-19 among young adults were found between the two districts. Better self-control ability, higher education and good mental health emerged as factors that significantly shaped the precautionary behaviors of young adults in this study.

Conclusion

Having better knowledge did not ensure better adoption of precautionary behaviors among the participants. In effect, the government’s strong intervention to keep people maintaining social distance and a strict lockdown in severely affected areas are probable immediate solutions.

Product of natural evolution (SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2); deadly diseases, from SARS to SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the order Nidovirales, family Coronaviridae, and subfamily Coronavirinae. SARS-CoV-2 entry to cellsis initiated by the binding of the viral spike protein (S) to its cellular receptor. The roles of S protein in receptor binding and membrane fusion makes it a prominent target for vaccine development. SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence analysis has shown that this virus belongs to the beta-coronavirus genus, which includes Bat SARS-like coronavirus, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. A vaccine should induce a balanced immune response to elicit protective immunity. In this review, we compare and contrast these three important CoV diseases and how they inform on vaccine development.

Knowledge and practice of personal protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emergent infectious pathogen causing an acute respiratory disease called corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Virus transmission may occur by contact, droplet, airborne or via contaminated surfaces. In efforts to effectively control the COVID-19 outbreak, the world health organization (WHO) and the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) have advised the public to practice protective measures to reduce transmission of the virus and reduce incidence of infection. These measures include hand washing, wearing masks and gloves and avoidance of touching the face with unwashed hands. The current study aimed to investigate knowledge and adherence of the Saudi population to these protective actions during the pandemic. After determining the required sample size using power analysis, a cross-sectional online self-reported survey of 5105 Saudi residents was conducted between 25^th March to 17^th April 2020 to evaluate public knowledge of COVID-19. Participants were all aged 18 years or above, Arabic speakers and residents of Saudi Arabia. Scores were calculated based on knowledge and adherence of the individuals to protective measures. About 90% of participants exhibited a high level of knowledge (scored 2/2) and practice (scored > 3/6) in relation to hand hygiene and wearing gloves and masks. Practice scores were positively associated with females and individuals with high income. Lower practice scores were linked to youth and residents of the northern and western regions of the Kingdom. Over two thirds of participants preferred hand washing to alcohol disinfection, and the frequency and performance of hand washing improved during the pandemic for more than half of respondents. Overall, the findings reflected high public knowledge of SARS-CoV2 transmission routes and adherence to personal protective measures. However, public awareness campaigns with an emphasis on the youth and individuals with low education and income are required to improve overall practice.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among the General Population During COVID-19 Outbreak in Iran: A National Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Background: Emerged in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the largest pandemics ever. During the early phase, little was known about public knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) relating to coronavirus disease. This study was designed to determine KAP of Iranians toward COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out in Iran from February 25 to April 25 using a self-administered questionnaire on 1,480 people. COVID-19-related KAP questions were adapted from other internationally validated questionnaires specific for infectious diseases. Results: All participants were aware of COVID-19. When asked unprompted, 80% of respondents could correctly cite fever, difficulty in breathing, and cough as signs/symptoms of COVID-19. Most of our sample population knew that staying at home and isolated (95.3%) as well as constant handwashing and using disinfectants (92.5%) could prevent COVID-19. However, there were also widespread misconceptions such as the belief that COVID-19 can be transmitted by wild animals (58%) and by air (48.3%). Unprompted, self-reported actions taken to avoid COVID-19 infection included handwashing with soap and water (95.4%), avoiding crowded places (93%), cleansing hands with other disinfectants (80.), and covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing (76.1%). The Internet and social media (94.5%) were the main coronavirus information sources. However, the most trusted information sources on coronavirus were health and medical professionals (79.3%). The majority of participants (77.0%) wanted more information about coronavirus to be available. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that people's knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19 at the time of its outbreak was at a high level.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Coronavirus Disease 2019 in the Central Area of Iran: A Population-Based Study

Background: The spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed high threats on global health, life and work style, and social and economic development. The current study aimed to extract knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to COVID-19 among the general population in the central area of Iran.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Arak City between April and May 2020. Stratified random sampling was applied to select the study participants. Phone interview was applied to collect the data. Data were collected using a questionnaire that was constructed and validated in this study. The questionnaire included demographic variables and items about knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted in STATA software.

Results: In total, 544 participants completed the questionnaire; 76% of the participants accounted COVID-19 as a high threat 1 month from the onset of COVID-19. From the maximum attainable scores of 1, 6, and 6, for COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices, means of 0.77 (0.13), 4.97 (0.63), and 5.35 (0.70) were obtained, respectively. Females had a higher practice score (5.4 ± 0.6). The participants with a family history of heart and respiratory diseases had significantly higher attitude and practice scores. SMS from the Ministry of Health had a significant impact on knowledge, attitude, and practice scores (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Higher attention should be given to increase the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of men and the housewife group. COVID-19 preventive messaging from the Ministry of Health was among the most influential methods of increasing knowledge that attracted public attention.

Knowledge, awareness and preparedness regarding coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic among community pharmacy practitioners working in Kathmandu, Nepal: A pilot study

Good knowledge, awareness and preparedness regarding coronavirus disease 2019, among community pharmacy practitioners (CPPs), will enable them to provide correct information and support to patients, convey instructions from the public health authorities and protect their own health.

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine knowledge, awareness and preparedness regarding coronavirus disease 2019 among CPPs working in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sampling method from 10 February to 25 March 2020. Data were analysed descriptively, and one-sample independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare scores among different subgroups of respondents (p < 0.05). Post hoc analyses (following analysis of variance) were done using the Bonferroni test.

Results

A total of 81 CPPs participated. Mean ± standard deviation age was 26.70 ± 5.29 years. Majority of the respondents were male (64.2%). Many CPPs (40.7%) had work experience between 1 and 5 years. Almost half (45.7%) had an educational qualification of Diploma in Pharmacy. Significant differences in knowledge (p = 0.022) and preparedness (p < 0.001) were found among individuals with differing levels of work experience. Similarly, a significant difference was found between knowledge-preparedness and work experience (p = 0.022 and p < 0.001), location of pharmacy (p < 0.001) and educational qualification (p = 0.031). Awareness (p < 0.001) and preparedness scores (p = 0.049) were different among community pharmacies with the different number of medicines available.

Conclusion

Knowledge was found to be higher in CPPs with a work experience of more than 5 years. CPPs working at larger community pharmacies were more aware and prepared. CPPs' knowledge, awareness and preparedness should be evaluated more widely and strengthened.

Predictors of Staying at Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Lockdown based on Protection Motivation Theory: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a social lockdown should be put in place and individuals should stay at home. Behavioral change is the only way to prevent the pandemic and overwhelmed healthcare systems until vaccines are available. We aimed to examine the psychological factors that predict staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and social lockdown. A total of 1980 participants in Japan completed a survey for this study from 9 to 11 May 2020, when the state of emergency covered all prefectures in the country. Self-reported behavior in terms of staying at home, the perceived severity of the pandemic, vulnerability to the pandemic, response efficacy, and self-efficacy based on protection motivation theory were assessed. Multiple regression analysis showed that perceived severity (standardized β = 0.11, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (standardized β = 0.32, p < 0.001) significantly predicted greater levels of staying at home, after controlling for socio-demographics. However, perceived vulnerability and response efficacy did not. To encourage people to stay at home during the pandemic and social lockdown, increasing the perceived severity of infection by COVID-19 and self-efficacy in terms of exercising restraint with respect to going out may consequently encourage people to stay at home.

Patterns and associated factors of COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and practice among general population and health care workers: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Coronavirus disease 2019 is a pandemic disease, requiring persons around the world to take immediate action to reduce the risk of infection. This study was aimed to summarize the patterns and determinants of coronavirus disease 2019 knowledge, attitude, and practice among general populations and health workers.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study from PubMed, HINARI, and Scopus were searched from March 16 to July 30, 2020. The review was done in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses-2009.

RESULT

We found 56 articles upon the initial search. Finally, 21 studies were filtered to be studied in this systematic review. Overall, the majority of the articles that were previously published had good knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 that lies in the ranges from 40% to 99.5%. A good attitude lies in the ranges from 70% to 97.1%. Among impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on mental health, only anxiety was reported that ranges from 24.6% to 96.3%. We found the variable practice towards combating coronavirus disease 2019. Several factors were associated with poor knowledge, attitudes, and practice skills regarding the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 such as level of education, occupation, income, gender, age, residence, work experience, religion, having media, marital status, and race.

CONCLUSION

The majority of the articles that were previously published had found good knowledge and attitude about coronavirus disease 2019 and variable reports for practice to combat the disease. Most of them were severely worried about the disease. Therefore, the mental effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 should be studied at large, and every country should implement the strategy to combat the disease to increase the level of practice.

An analytical study on the awareness, attitude and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new variable of the Coronaviridae family. COVID-19 spreads primarily by contacting the virus either from a COVID-19-infected individual through coughing or sneezing or from COVID-19-contaminated surfaces. On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced COVID-19 as a pandemic. The government of Saudi Arabia was among the first countries in the world to take quick and serious precautions. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has made the public aware of the virus transmission patterns and the importance of quarantine and curfew. Despite strict measures taken, the awareness of people towards infectious viruses remains the most important factor in limiting the widespread of diseases.

METHOD

A cross-sectional survey of 1767 participants, was conducted to explore the awareness, attitude and practice of COVID-19 in relation to socioeconomic data among residents in the city of Riyadh.

RESULTS

Of all the participants, 58% showed a moderate level of awareness, 95% presented a high attitude and 81% presented an adequate practice regarding COVID-19. Significant positive correlation between awareness-attitude (r = 0.132, p-value < 0.001) and attitude-practice (r = 0.149, p-value < 0.001) were found. The gender of the participants was the only common characteristic significantly associated with both awareness and practice. This study revealed that males showed a slight increase (60%) in the level of awareness compared to female participants (57%), however, when it comes to the practice towards COVID-19, females showed slightly better practice (82%) than males (80%). The World health organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) were the main sources of information.

CONCLUSION

Despite the moderate public awareness, their attitude and practice were better. Therefore, public awareness must be improved to be prepared for epidemic and pandemic situations. A comprehensive public health education program is important to increase awareness and to reach sufficient knowledge.

Public Awareness, Individual Prevention Practice, and Psychological Effect at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Outbreak in China

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 has spread to more than 200 countries and territories. But less is known about the knowledge, protection behavior and anxiety regarding the outbreak among the general population.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, population-based online survey was conducted in China and abroad from January 28 to February 1, 2020. Socio-demographic information was collected and knowledge scores, practice scores, anxiety scores and perceived risk were calculated. General linear model and binary logistic regression were used to identify possible associations.

RESULTS

We included 9,764 individuals in this study, and 156 (1.6%) were from Hubei Province. The average knowledge score was 4.7 (standard deviation, 1.0) (scored on a 6-point scale); 96.1% maintained hand hygiene, and 90.3% of participants had varying levels of anxiety. People in Hubei Province were the most anxious, followed by those in Beijing and Shanghai. People who had experienced risk behaviors did not pay more attention to wearing masks and hand hygiene.

CONCLUSIONS

The public had high awareness on knowledge of COVID-19 outbreak, and a high proportion of people practiced good hand hygiene behavior. Many people claimed anxiety, especially in heavily affected areas during pandemic, suggesting the importance of closing the gap between risk awareness and good practice and conduct psychological counseling to public and patients.

Public Awareness Toward Coronavirus Disease-2019

BACKGROUND

The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has become a global issue of concern. Since its occurrence, about 18 million cases have been reported globally and about 280 000 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the general population toward COVID-19.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A questionnaire was built by the researchers that was composed of demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices sections.

RESULTS

The sample was composed of 575 participants. The mean scores of knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 16.48 ± 2.90, 10.01 ± 2.18, and 8.91 ± 1.91, respectively. The Ministry of Health constitutes the main source of participants' information.

CONCLUSION

The findings showed that participants have good knowledge, positive attitudes, and satisfactory practices toward COVID-19. Yet, areas of low knowledge and negative attitudes were noticed. However, further studies are recommended to design an effective measure to control the disease.

Identification of the awareness level by the public of Arab countries toward COVID-19: cross-sectional study following an outbreak

BACKGROUND

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global challenge. Improving public awareness about preventive measures and disseminating appropriate information about COVID-19 has a critical role in containing the disease.

AIM

To evaluate and determine the factors that may affect the level of awareness and responses toward COVID-19 in Arab countries. The study could be helpful in identifying where more public education about COVID-19 is needed.

METHOD

This cross-sectional, online descriptive questionnaire-based study was conducted in February and March 2020. A total of 485 participants from Arabic-speaking countries (Jordan, United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Palestine, and Egypt) were asked to complete this Arabic-translated survey using social media platforms (Facebook and WhatsApp).

RESULT

In general, there was a good level of awareness of the participants regarding COVID-19. Higher awareness scores were significantly correlated with older participants [odds ratio (OR) 1.019; 95% CI 1.012-1.026], those who attended awareness campaigns [OR 1.212; 95% CI 1.081-1.358], secondary school education holders [OR 1.740; 95% CI 1.096-2.763], higher education diploma holders [OR 2.090; 95% CI 1.297-3.368], university degree holders [OR 1.969; 95% CI 1.265-3.066], those who have post-graduate education [OR 2.206; 95% CI 1.393-3.493], and healthcare employees [OR 1.259; 95% CI 1.025-1.547].

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing global panic; thus, awareness and practices of preventive measures of COVID-19 should be increased through public educational campaigns, which should be planned in accordance with communities' and countries' attitudes toward COVID-19. Collaborative efforts between ministries of heath and residents of every country should be implemented.

The impacts of COVID-19 measures on global environment and fertility rate: double coincidence

The study aims to examine the effects of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) measures on global environment and fertility rate by using the data of 1980 to 2019. The results show that communicable diseases including COVID-19 measures decrease carbon emissions and increase the chances of fertility rates in an account of city-wide lockdown. The knowledge spillover substantially decreases carbon emissions, while high energy demand increases carbon emissions. Poverty incidence increases fertility rate in the short-run; however, in the long-run, the result only supported with vulnerable employment and food prices that lead to increase fertility rates worldwide. The study concludes that besides some high negative externalities associated with COVID-19 pandemic in the form of increasing death tolls and rising healthcare costs, the global world should have to know how to direct high mass carbon emissions and population growth through acceptance of preventive measures, which would be helpful to contain coronavirus pandemic at a global scale.

Estimating the public response to mitigation measures and self-perceived behaviours towards the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

Since March 2020, a rapid increase has been observed in the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has essentially resulted from increased disease transmission and intensified testing and reporting. The international guidelines for the prevention and treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic have been frequently updated. Such guidelines assist the governmental regulatory bodies in taking optimal measures and safeguarding their citizens against the pandemic. We conducted a short survey with a Saudi cohort to understand the awareness about COVID-19 and estimate the responses for mitigation strategies.

Methods

An electronic survey was conducted, and the first 388 responses were analysed for publishing an initial report. The questionnaire comprised 27 items and was divided into three sections, namely demographic, awareness, and response to mitigation strategies and participants' self-perceived behaviours regarding COVID-19. The perceptions of the participants were compared with their responses to mitigation measures.

Results

In our study, 89.7% understood the meaning of pandemic, while 82.2% correctly identified that the elderly belonged to a high-risk group for the COVID-19 infection. As many as 96.1% agreed that staying at home was one of the mitigation strategies. Nearly 35% preferred self-medication. Higher educational level (OR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.02–4.29) and longer working hours were found to be significantly associated with a positive response to mitigation measures with p < 0.04 and p < 0.02, respectively.

Conclusions

We report better understanding and appropriate response to mitigation measures towards the COVID-19 pandemic among the general population in KSA. Nevertheless, the tendency towards self-medication was reported by one-third of the responders.