Abstract:
Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious global health problem that was first detected in Wuhan, China.
Insufficient level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards the preventive measures of COVID-19 lead to the economic
downturn, rise in the number of infected people daily and increase mortality rate. Objective: This study was conducted to
evaluate KAP towards COVID-19 preventive measures and symptoms among individuals living in Kedah. Materials and
methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing online questionnaires among 388 individuals living in different
districts in Kedah. Descriptive frequency analysis was used to summarise the socio-demographic characteristics. Chi-Square Test
and Fisher Exact Test were used to identify the association between demographic characteristics and level of KAP. Spearman’s
correlation was used to assess the relationship between the dependent variables. Results and conclusion: The mean score
obtained for knowledge, attitude, and practice were 9.67 ± 1.64, 20.89 ± 3.03 and 10.13 ± 1.12, respectively. A significant
association (p< 0.05) was found between respondent's demographic characteristics with the level of knowledge (age, gender,
level of education, marital status, occupation), and level of practice (gender, level of education). This study also reported no
significant association between respondent's demographic characteristics with the level of attitude. There was a positive
correlation between knowledge – attitude (rs =0.103, p<0.05), knowledge – practice (rs =0.111, p<0.05) and attitude – practice (rs
=0.207, p<0.05). This study shows that the greater a person's level of knowledge, the higher the level of attitude and practice.
This study will provide essential groundwork data to help health officials facilitate the implementation of effective policy
regarding COVID-19 preventive measures in Kedah.
