Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices toward COVID-19 among Bangladeshi internet users

27, April 2020 | Bangladesh

Authors:

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 is currently the most horrible issue around the world as there is no proven vaccine or medicine for this rapidly spreading disease. The only way left to this situation is to slow down or eradicate the spreading by adopting preventing measures. Objective: The purpose of the study is to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices toward COVID-19 among Bangladeshi internet users. Material and Methods: A total of 441 respondents voluntarily participated in a web-based cross-sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was created using Google Forms and the link was shared through authors’ networks. Collected information was analyzed using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques. Results: Respondent of age 30 and above are more optimistic (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =1.96, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.13 to 3.41; P=0.016) compared to respondent of age 18-29. For 1 unit change in the knowledge score the likelihood of staying home and wearing mask increases by 1.73 (95% CI, 1.43 to 2.09; P<0.01) and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.25 to 1.77; P<0.01) times respectively. From the linear regression analysis, we see that urban residence type (vs. rural, β=0.274; P=0.024) are significantly associated with higher knowledge scores. Additionally, a significant positive correlation exists between the COVID-19 knowledge score and the preventive practice score (r=0.291, P <0.01). Conclusion: Although knowledge and preventive practices among Bangladeshi internet users are encouraging, this study suggests updated knowledge be provided by healthcare authorities to enhance appropriate preventive practices throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.