Assessment of the Knowledge and Reported Practice of CovidAppropriate Behaviour in a Selected Urban Community in Delhi

ABSTRACT

Life is getting back to 'ldquo;new normal'rdquo; with chaos giving rise to an order. Crowds are building up, public places are being thronged and festivals are relished as earlier. Kerala being the fi rst State to report zero cases amongst all other states suddenly witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases and, and was later responsible for 64.2 percent cases of India. Such instances reinforce the need to follow and implement Covid-appropriate behaviour. So, this community-based study was conducted to assess the awareness and insight of general population regarding Covid-appropriate behaviour using descriptive design. Two hundred (200) samples of selected urban community in the age group 10 to 85 years were taken by convenient sampling technique to assess the knowledge and reported practice regarding Covid-appropriate behaviour. A questionnaire was prepared on knowledge and reported practice based on an Illustrative guide provided by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Structured interview technique was used and data was collected and analysed by using descriptive statistics. Results revealed that 92 percent of sample population had knowledge that hand hygiene prevents transmission of Covid-19 while only 51 percent of them washed hands frequently; 43 percent of respondents knew about mandatory social distancing while only 25.5 percent always maintained social distance; 97 percent of participants were aware of symptoms of Covid-19 while only 66.5 percent claimed that they will report or contact the healthcare centre or health care professional if they have any of the mentioned symptoms of Covid. There was difference between knowledge and reported practice regarding Covid-appropriate behaviour.