Community knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards indoor air quality: A national cross-sectional study in Singapore

Abstract

Community levels of Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour (KAB) toward indoor air quality (IAQ) are important considerations in designing effective measures to reduce poor health associated with indoor air pollutants. Few studies have examined what influences community KAB levels. Using a cross-sectional study design and a standardized questionnaire to collect from randomly selected adults in Singapore, we assessed the dependence of community knowledge and attitude with socio-demographic factors and the dependence of the behaviour with knowledge, attitude and socio-demographic factors using multivariable linear regression models. We compared pre- and post- attitude scores after IAQ knowledge sharing. Of 951 respondents, approximately 98 % had low scores for both knowledge (median: 1.0) and behaviour (median: 0.0) while 73.5 % had moderate scores for attitude (median: 35.0). Older age, post-secondary/tertiary education, higher income (≥$12,000), lower skilled occupations and less affluent housing were associated with lower knowledge levels. There was no significant association between attitude and behaviour. Higher attitude scores were observed in those with higher skilled occupations and in those living in their present residence for under 10 years. Income was inversely associated with behaviour scores, while those in higher skilled occupations and who had lived in their present residence for 10–19 years had significantly higher behaviour scores. Knowledge was positively associated with behaviour (beta = 0.23; 95 % CI = 0.18–0.28). Knowledge sharing by interviewers improved participant attitude scores (mean: +0.34, p < 0.001). Community segment-specific improvement strategies may advance community knowledge levels and behavioural responses towards IAQ.