Assessment of Bangladeshi People’s Knowledge, Awareness, Precautionary Behavior and Preventive Actions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross- sectional Survey

23, April 2021 |

Authors:

Abstract

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a global burden where fear, anxiety and lack of knowl- edge, awareness and preventive measures play pivotal role for community transmission. Authority of each nation is strictly approaching various health related guidelines and awareness campaigns. However, the present study was aimed to assess Bangladeshi people pattern of adherence with the health principles, level of knowledge and aware- ness of community transmission about the virus. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among the general people from 13 to 19 August 2020 by using a pre-assessed and validated questionnaire with the help of google tool and form. Total 1014 respondents were participated. Using SPSS software, chi-square (χ2) statistic was calculated to analyze the significance of knowledge level, risk perception, actions and precautionary behavior of participants according to their educational level and age group. Results: Among the respondents, male (85%) were more knowledgeable than female (82.53%). Correctness of answers was maximum (92.31%) in 41-50 age group and minimum (69.23%) in 51-60 age group. Post graduated participants had the highest knowledge while students of secondary level had the lowest knowledge on it. Although, maintenance of personal hygiene was proportional with the educational status, but it had no significant variance regarding age. Taking medication without doctor advice showed similar character on sex, but it was considerably varied on ages. Conclusion: The study clearly indicated that knowledge, awareness, risk perception and preventive practices about COVID-19 significantly associated with age and education. A comprehensive public health strategy and additional effort is necessary to facilitate precautionary actions to limit the COVID-19 transmission.