Knowledge and practice of COVID-19 preventive measures and its associated factors among attendees of a primary care clinic in Kano, Nigeria; A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: In recent times, an increasing number of mysterious deaths related to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have engulfed one of the largest cities in Africa. Hence, there is a need to promote the prevention of morbidity and mortality from this currently poorly understood disease. Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge and practice of preventive measures against COVID-19 and to identify its predictors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study among 420 adults systematically selected from attendees of a Nigerian general outpatient clinic over a 4-week study period. Data collected included participants' sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge and practice of COVID-19 preventive measures. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Binary logistic regression was used to identify predictors of knowledge and practice of the preventive measures. Variables with P < 0.05 were considered predictors. Results: A majority were females (57.5%), they had a mean age of 33.1 ± 11.7 years, with tertiary education (60.2%). Overall, more than two-third of 294 (71.4%) of the participants had good knowledge. However, only 59 (14.3%) of the participants had correct (good) practice. Only educational level (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.079, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.039–4.161) and overall knowledge (AOR = 0.342, 95% CI = 0.155–0.754) were predictors of knowledge and practice, respectively. Conclusion: COVID-19 preventive practice is still inadequate among this primary care population in Kano, Nigeria. Ensuring access to quality education and enlightenment campaigns will go a long way in improving the knowledge on COVID-19 preventive measures, which may improve practice.