Knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 among the general public in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 has caused around a million deaths throughout the world and despite the prompt lockdown and rigorous efforts from the government and health authorities, the case numbers in India were still staggering. To explore this furthermore, our study was formulated and aimed to find out the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among the public in Tamil Nadu.Methods: A cross-sectional, online survey on the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted among the public from 21st July 2020 to 3rd August 2020. The survey questionnaire was semi-structured with questions split into four categories on bio-social variables and questions assessing the KAP towards COVID-19. The data analysis was done using RStudio and Jamovi software and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Among the 1008 valid responses, the knowledge was higher among the degree holders, the HCWs and those living in apartments, compared to their respective counterparts. With the increase in age, the attitude was more positive. Degree holders, HCWs and working participants had better practice habits than their respective peers. Knowledge, attitude and practice were significantly correlated with each other.Conclusions: It is evident from our study that better knowledge leads to a positive attitude and in turn reflects on better practice. Our study also revealed how education can be an effective tool in awareness and timely adaptation which might help health authorities to formulate plans based on the areas of improvement.