Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) towards COVID-19 preventive measures and symptoms: A cross-sectional study among individuals living in Kedah

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.