RESIDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE TOWARD COVID-19 DURING THE NEW PERIOD IN PHONG DIEN DISTRICT, CAN THO CITY

Abstract

Background: COVID-19, a global health threat for over two years, has extensive and widespread effects. Due to the ever-changing nature of the Coronavirus, new variants are continually appearing, and more contagious variants emerge (such as Delta or Omicron variants, etc.) if we neglect to prevent the Covid-19 disease. A recent World Health Organization report shows that good hand hygiene and simple, low-cost prevention practices can prevent more than 70% of infections of Covid-19. Therefore, strategies to practice personal hygiene, vaccination, avoid overcrowding and wear masks outdoors are still recommended for disease control and prevention. Our study aims to provide the public with accurate, objective, and scientific knowledge on COVID-19 and its prevention. Objectives: 1. Assess the current status of people's knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the Phong Dien district in the new period. 2. Determine some factors related to people's disease prevention practice. Materials and methods: 1632 participants in cross-sectional descriptive research. Collect data by directly interviewing the subjects through a set of prepared questionnaires. Results: The percentage of people with good general knowledge is 9.6%, positive attitude at 89.9%, and good general practice is 32.5%. Most people know the cause of Covid-19 (99.1%); the lowest knowledge is that eating a healthy diet can fight Covid-19, accounting for 11.1%. Regarding COVID-19 prevention practices, 52.0% of people have time to wash their hands ≥20 seconds, and most of them wash their hands more than 90% of the time after touching surfaces such as door locks, elevator buttons when coughing, sneezing, etc. The content about good attitudes accounted for 85.3% to 96.4%. Subjects who have been infected with COVID19 good practices is 1.5 times higher than those who have never been infected with COVID-19 (p=0.02), families with ever infected with COVID-19 people have good practices 1.3 times higher than families without people infected with COVID-19 times (p=0.05). People with good knowledge and a positive attitude have an excellent practice rate 2.7 times higher than the other group, p<0.05. Conclusions: more attention should be paid to the role of COVID-19 epidemic prevention in the new normal period.