Abstract
Background: The rapid outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) posed a serious threat to China, followed by compulsive measures taken against the national emergency to control its further spread. This study was designed to describe residents' knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviors (KAP) during the outbreak of COVID-19.Methods: An anonymous online questionnaire was randomly administrated to residents in mainland China between Mar 7 and Mar 16, 2020. Residents' responses to KAP were quantified by descriptive and stratified analyses. A Multiple Logistic Regression model was employed to identify risk factors associated with KAP scores.Results: A total of 10,195 participants were enrolled from 32 provinces of China. Participants of the ≥61 years group had higher KAP scores [adjusted Odds Ratio (ORadj) = 4.8, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3.0–7.7, P < 0.0001], and the married participants and those in low-income families had higher scores of KAP (ORadj = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1–1.3; ORadj = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.6–2.2, respectively, both P < 0.0001). The participants living with more than two family members had higher scores in an increasing ORs when the family members increased (ORadj = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.6, P = 0.013; ORadj = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.6, P = 0.003; ORadj = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0–1.6, P = 0.02; for groups of 2, 3–4 and ≥5, respectively).Conclusions: Out of the enrolled participants who completed the survey, 85.5% responded positively toward the mandatory public health interventions implemented nationwide by the Chinese authorities. These effective practices seem to be related to a proper attitude generated by the increased knowledge and better awareness of the risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent need for safe and responsible behavior.
Highlights
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has experienced an outbreak across China and other countries around the world widely involving the population and the authorities [1]
The outbreak of COVID-19 creates a huge disaster to China, especially during the Chinese Annual Lunar New Year time when the people celebrate in grand pomp and the community participates for several days
The types of occupations were defined by the Chinese standard and the employees of commercial/service industry accounted for the largest proportion, 32.9%. 92.1% of participants stated having not, or probably not, been infected by COVID-19
Summary
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has experienced an outbreak across China and other countries around the world widely involving the population and the authorities [1]. Due to the rapid person-to-person transmission and the asymptomatic initial appearance, with a median incubation period of ∼ 5 days, COVID-19 has created a public health emergency of international concern. At the time we conducted our survey, ∼1,300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported overall the world, including 80,000 deaths across more than 200 countries. The number of confirmed cases is still soaring around the world, China has controlled the spread of epidemic. To control the diffusion of the infection across the nation, Chinese authorities took measures and preventions to block the transmission among close contacts. The rapid outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) posed a serious threat to China, followed by compulsive measures taken against the national emergency to control its further spread. This study was designed to describe residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviors (KAP) during the outbreak of COVID-19
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