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Abstract
Background: As the world is still being ravaged by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the first line of prevention lies in understanding the causative and preventive factors of the disease. However, given varied socioeconomic circumstances, there may be some inequality in the level of proper knowledge of COVID-19. Despite a proliferation of studies on COVID-19, the extent and prevalence of inequalities in knowledge about COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia are not known. Most related studies have only focused on understanding the determinants of COVID-19 knowledge. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the socioeconomic inequalities in knowledge regarding COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.Methods: Data were extracted from an online cross-sectional self-reported questionnaire conducted on the knowledge about COVID-19 from 3,388 participants. Frequencies and graphs were used to identify the level and distribution of inequality in knowledge about COVID-19. Concentration curves and concentration indices were further used to assess and quantify the income- and education-related inequality in knowledge about COVID-19.Results: The level of COVID-19 knowledge was high among the surveyed sample, although the extent of knowledge varied. The findings further suggest the existence of socioeconomic inequality in obtaining proper knowledge about COVID-19, indicating that inequality in comprehensive knowledge is disproportionately concentrated among the wealthy (concentration index = 0.016; P < 0.001) and highly educated individuals (concentration index = 0.003; P = 0.029) in Saudi Arabia.Conclusions: There is inequality in the level of knowledge about COVID-19 among the more socioeconomically privileged population of Saudi Arabia. Given that COVID-19 cases ebb and flow in different waves, it is important that proper policies be put in place that will help in improving knowledge among the lower income and less educated individuals, leading to behavior that can help reduce transmission.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV), which was initially discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China [1]
As there is a dearth of empirical literature focusing on socioeconomic inequality in COVID-19 knowledge, the aim of this study was to assess the socioeconomic inequality in knowledge regarding COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), based on the use of concentration indices and concentration curves, and identifying the extent to which various factors contribute to any observed inequality in this knowledge
To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first empirical evidence on the existence of socioeconomic inequality in knowledge related to COVID-19 in the KSA
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV), which was initially discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China [1]. Following the WHO declaration, countries around the globe, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), have been leaning on response plans to respond to the pandemic and contain transmission of the virus. The KSA put several measures in place to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country since confirmation of its first case on 2 March 2020 [10]. Despite a proliferation of studies on COVID-19, the extent and prevalence of inequalities in knowledge about COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia are not known. Most related studies have only focused on understanding the determinants of COVID-19 knowledge. The aim of this study was to assess the socioeconomic inequalities in knowledge regarding COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia
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