Awareness survey on COVID-19 pandemic in India

Abstract

A pandemic caused by novel corona virus begins in end of year 2019 in Wuhan, China and within few months it emerged and affected the whole world. To providing information about health care, sanitation to the rural people of India, we conducted an Awareness, Cleanliness and Practice (ACP) survey among the rural people of Delhi-NCR, India in April 2022. An analytic cross-sectional survey with questionnaires administered online to the rural population including Farmers, Janitors, Health Care Workers (HCW), House wives, Students in Delhi-NCR, India. All Participants were voluntarily participated and the percentage of ACP scores was categorized as good and poor. However, Independent predictors like Awareness of severe acute respiratory disorder were ascertained using a binary logistic regression model. The questionnaire was online administered among rural people of Delhi-NCR, India. There were 400 study participants with mean age 32.37±8.15 yrs, interquartile range 28–32 yrs and males 63.4% with graduate education. Most participants were farmers (30%), Janitors (20 %), Health Care Workers, and 20% of House wives and students. All results were expressed in mean ± standard deviation for Awareness, Cleanliness and Practice (ACP) and their scored were 55.18± 12.38, 63.15% ± 5.16 and 45.02% ± 14.2 respectively. Apart from this 376 participants (56.25%) had good awareness (GA) about the hygiene, 32.5% had good knowledge about the cleanliness (KC), and 70% participants following good practices (GP). Despite of this around 58 % did not agree that vaccines can protect them from COVID-19 which as originated from animals and 46 % thought it was a manmade virus and China is behind it. Although, in case of factor fear most of participants (86%) gives 9 out of 10 and 75% agreed that taking basic precautions like wash hand with soap, wear mask, social distancing and vaccines can protect them from this pandemic. However some the respondents (56%) blamed govt election policies and holy bath in kumbh in Haridwar is the main reason of spreading the COVID19 in 2021 in India. One in seven people had public stigma towards infected person and recovered patient from the virus.