1424Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards COVID-19: An Epidemiological Survey in Mumbai, India

Abstract

\n \n \n The COVID-19 pandemic has become a serious public health concern around the world, with countries taking significant preventive and control measures to halt the spread of this deadly virus. The knowledge, attitude & practices (KAP) of the general population play a major role in the containment measures adopted by the country. The current study was conducted to assess the KAP of the population of Mumbai towards COVID-19 pandemic.\n \n \n \n The study was a web-based, cross sectional survey. A Snowball sampling technique was used. The digital forms were made available in local languages. A 25-item survey instrument was developed according to the guidelines issued by the Government to test the KAP of the population about COVID-19. Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal consistency of the questionnaire. Chi-square test or Fischer exact test was used to compare categorical data and multiple linear regression was used to identify factors influencing KAP.\n \n \n \n A total of 1360 responses were included in the study. The overall knowledge, attitude and practice score was 83.7%, 77.33% and 63.8% respectively. About 14.85% did not know about the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19.\n \n \n \n The assessment of COVID-19 related KAP among the public could be instrumental in providing better insights to the policy makers to deliver tailored health intervention programmes.\n \n \n \n The findings of this study can serve as a guide to future efforts aimed at public readiness to adhere to control measures to address such emergency crises.\n