Indian Journal of Respiratory Care

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VOLUME 10 , ISSUE 1 ( January-April, 2021 ) > List of Articles

Original Article

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward the COVID-19 Pandemic among the Indian General Population: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Lakshmi Venkata Simhachalam Kutikuppala, A. N. Syamasundara Kiran

Keywords : 2019-nCoV disease, COVID-19, COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infection

Citation Information : Kutikuppala LV, Kiran AN. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward the COVID-19 Pandemic among the Indian General Population: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Indian J Respir Care 2021; 10 (1):88-92.

DOI: 10.4103/ijrc.ijrc_73_20

License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Published Online: 06-12-2022

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2021; Indian Journal of Respiratory Care.


Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease is highly infectious, and fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgia, and dyspnea are the main clinical symptoms of the disease. There is a necessity to understand the public's awareness of COVID-19 to facilitate the outbreak management of COVID-19 in India. Collection of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) information regarding outbreaks has long been useful in apprising prevention, control, and mitigation measures during such outbreaks. Objectives: The study objective was to evaluate knowledge levels, prevailing attitudes, and practices among the general population of India about the COVID-19 pandemic and to rule out barriers concerned with practicing risk reduction behaviors. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted online among the general population of India during the lockdown period. The KAP toward COVID-19/severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection and prevention were assessed by using a self-administered questionnaire with 32 questions. The KAP assessment was carried out by assigning scores to the variables. SPSS version 24.0 and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 1292 people had participated in the survey, and their mean age was 29.43 years. Overall, 81% of the participants had good knowledge, 77% of the participants had a positive attitude, and 83.5% of the participants were following good practices. Nearly 94% of the participants are confident that India can overcome COVID-19, and 97.7% of the participants wore masks when they went out. Conclusion: Health education campaigns and awareness events targeting the general population can enhance knowledge and attitudes of the people to the pandemic and potentiate better practices in facing the crisis.


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