Knowledge and Attitude about Covid-19 Pandemic Containment Measures among Students in Technical Institutions in Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

Objectives: The goal of this research was to determine how well students understand and their attitudes towards strategies to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross-sectional research was conducted using a questionnaire. Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in three institutions filled out the survey after it was made available to them physically and online. Methods: It was determined whether or not there was a statistically significant correlation between KAP (knowledge and attitude) and other socio-demographic factors by using chi-square testing. Using binary logistic regression, we were able to isolate and adjust for any confounding variables. SPSS was used for the statistical analysis (version 26). Results: According to the respondents' demographic information, the vast majority of participants were male. Participants' average age was under 24. 42% (165/392) of the sample exhibited above-average expertise (good knowledge level [GKL]). As a whole, 42% of those polled had heard of COVID-19 and understood that it is a respiratory virus. Male students had less COVID-19 knowledge than female students (OR = 0.54, p = 0.01), suggesting that gender plays a role in students' exposure to and understanding of the virus. The aggregated attitude items showed that 63.5% of people had a favorable outlook. Sixty-six percent of those polled were concerned about a member of their immediate family contracting COVID-19. It was revealed that students with GKL had a considerably lower rate of anxiety (28.2%, p = 0.015). Knowledge was shown to have a positive association with attitudes (r =.48, p .001), while attitudes were found to have a positive correlation with behaviors (r =.23, p .001). Conclusions: Overall, the survey found that more than half of respondents had enough understanding, and that those with higher levels of expertise were more inclined to go to the appropriate authorities for help. To further understand cultural similarities and variations, the study suggests that future research poll a larger sample of students and those from other nations.