Covid-19 Pandemic Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Among the Pakistani General Public

Bibliographic Data

ID22068372
AuthorsRehana Rehman (0000-0001-9730-5553, Aga Khan University), Shireen Jawed (0000-0001-9289-0992, Punjab Medical College), Rabiya Ali (Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases), Khola Noreen (0000-0001-7717-0698, Rawalpindi Medical University, corresponding author), Mukhtiar Baig (0000-0003-0058-2031, King Abdulaziz University), Javaria Baig (Liaquat National Hospital)
Year2021
Volume9
Pages588537-588537
Publication date2021-06-09
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2021.588537
PMID34178907
OpenAlexW3171693231
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited19

Background: Outbreak of COVID-19, in many countries, has imposed a lockdown on their residents. The usefulness of extenuative actions is extremely reliant on society's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward pandemic control. Objective: This study aimed to explore the awareness, attitudes, and practices of the general Pakistani population to COVID-19. Methods: From June 13, 2020, until June 30, 2020, a cross-sectional online KAP survey was conducted among the Pakistani public. For data collection, a validated self-administered questionnaire was used. The survey instrument consisted of six demographic characteristics, 14 items on knowledge, four on attitudes, and six items on practices, modified from a previously published questionnaire on COVID-19. Results: The present study included 2,307 participants, 58.3% males and 41.7% of females. The majority (86.7%) sought information from social media (SM) and television, 95% had good practices, 89.9% had positive attitudes, and two-thirds (67.4%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge. The students and people from younger age groups had more positive attitudes compared with others. Highly educated w with other groups ( p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio indicated that the private job was negatively associated, and high monthly income was positively associated with adequate knowledge (OR = 0.595). Old age was the predictor of negative attitude, and high school degrees and master's degrees were associated with good practice scores. Conclusion: The Pakistani general population has an overall positive attitude and proactive practices against COVID-19, but their knowledge is inadequate. The most important source of information was SM, followed by television. These are playing a crucial role in educating the Pakistani public

Computer-assisted web interviewing · Cross-sectional study · Disease · Environmental health · Family medicine · Logistic regression · Odds · Odds ratio · Pandemic · Population · Public health · Social media · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Demography · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access