Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among the population of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: The population's adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures is influenced by their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards the disease, making research into people's awareness of the disease essential. The present survey was designed to assess KAP towards COVID-19 among the population of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: An online questionnaire was disseminated via social media between September 14 and October 5, 2020. The intended population was Brazilians over the age of 18, living in the state of São Paulo. Results: A total of 1,111 individuals completed the questionnaire. The majority were women (71.6%), 31.6% were aged 31–40 years old, and 82.8% had higher education. Among the participants, 17.5% reported that they had taken some medication without a medical prescription to prevent COVID-19. The participants showed good knowledge about the transmission and prevention of the disease. The knowledge mean score was lower among participants with complete high school or less, with poor self-perception of their health status, who almost never seek information about COVID-19, and those who are not sure to belong to a risk group for the disease. Only 51.3% of the participants believed that COVID-19 would finally be successfully controlled, and 56.6% were confident that Brazil could win the battle against the virus. Conclusions: Participants demonstrated good knowledge of COVID-19 but were pessimistic about the pandemic's future. The findings of this study can help in the development of effective health communication strategies to promote better knowledge and a positive attitude about prevention measures.