ABSTRACT
Objective: COVID-19 is a public health emergency of international concern. There is still no definitive cure for this highly transmittable illness. Immunization and breaking the chain of infection is the only successful approach to mitigate its spread. Our study explored the adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and its associating factors among Health Care Professionals (HCPs) working in Saudi Arabia. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, an online survey was conducted from December 01, 2020, to March 31, 2021, among 978 HCPs in Saudi Arabia. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of demographic information, COVID-19 preventive behaviors, knowledge, attitude, fear, and risk. Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis, Spearman correlation, and binary logistic regression tests were used in data analysis. Results: Most of the HCPs were Saudi nationals (86.9%), females (63.1%), age group 20-29 years (42.3%), Middle Eastern ethnicity (82.5%), and working in the government sector (80.8%). A 52.2% of the participants were compliant with COVID-19 preventive behavior. The most and the least compliant preventive behaviors were "wearing masks" (88.8% compliance) and "keeping social distancing" (60.7% compliance). Preventive behavior was significantly higher in HCPs having a) more knowledge of COVID-19 (U=104849; p 0.001); b) positive attitude (U=84402; p 0.001); c) higher fear (U=103138; p less than 0.001) and d) nursing profession (p 0.01). COVID-19 knowledge (p<0.001), attitude (p<0.001), and fear (p<0.001) contributed significantly to the prediction of preventive behavior compliance. A unit increase in COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and fear scores raised the odds of being compliant with preventive behavior by factors of 2.34, 1.87, and 1.53 respectively. Conclusion: About half of the study participants were compliant with COVID-19 preventive behavior. Preventive behavior is significantly higher among HCPs having more knowledge of COVID-19, more fear, a positive attitude, and the "nursing" profession. Having more knowledge, a positive attitude, and more fear of COVID-19 may increase the likelihood of being compliant with preventive behavior.
ABSTRACT
Introduction With the expeditious spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), healthcare workers have undoubtedly faced a higher risk of contracting the disease compared to the general public. This study aimed to stratify the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 infection among healthcare workers in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia and shed light on their level of knowledge, attitude, and fear towards the disease. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional study, involving 978 Arabic and English-speaking healthcare workers, was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire. The knowledge, attitude, and fear scales were developed by researchers using the most updated information regarding coronavirus disease 2019. The Objective Risk Stratification tool developed in the United Kingdom was used to measure the risk level of contracting coronavirus disease 2019. Collected data were analyzed and interpreted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. Results Out of the 978 participants, 63.1% were female, 74.6% were 20-39 years old, 86.9% were Saudis, and 31.3% worked as physicians. The most common health-related risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 among the study participants were smoking (23.4%), sickle cell trait (22.8%), and asthma (21.2%). The risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 was found to be low in 87.2% of participants, with those significantly at higher risk being male, non-Saudis, black Africans, and 70-79 years old. The knowledge level was found to be high among 54.7% of participants, with significantly higher levels being reported among females, non-Saudis, and participants who were either physicians or pharmacists. The most commonly cited source of knowledge was the Saudi Ministry of Health (82%). Participants largely demonstrated a positive attitude towards the disease (53.9%), particularly those working as physicians and in the governmental sector. The majority of participants (54.4%) were found to have a high level of fear toward the disease, with significantly higher levels being reported among females, 30-39 years old, and those who were either nurses or pharmacists. Conclusion The present study demonstrated significant sociodemographic variability among healthcare workers in the Eastern province, with respect to their risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 and their levels of knowledge, attitude, and fear toward the disease.