A STUDY OF AWARENESS, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE TEACHING COMMUNITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The unprecedented global health crisis we are facing is affecting all parts of society and changing lives and livelihoods. International efforts have been applied to prevent the spread of the virus through personal hygiene, masks and social distancing as prevention measures. AIMS:To assess the Awareness, Attitude and Practices towards COVID-19 Pandemic in the Teaching Community. METHOD:An online survey consisting of self-rated questions related to Awareness, Attitude and Practices towards COVID-19 Pandemic in the Teaching Community was carried out between December 2020 and January 2021. The main outcome measures were awareness, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 Pandemic in the Teaching Community. RESULTS: 80 teaching community respondents participated in the survey. A signicant and positive correlation was seen between attitude and their practices (r=0.3110, p=0.0050). Asignicant differences were observed between age groups with mean attitude and practice scores (p<0.05) and urban teaching community have signicant and higher practice scores as compared to rural teaching community (p<0.05) CONCLUSION: Results indicate there is an average level of awareness, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 Pandemic in the Teaching Community. But urban teaching community have good attitude and practices towards the COVID-19. It is important to monitor and address the rural teaching community about the awareness, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 Pandemic after the lockdown.