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The public health environment in South Korea is advancing toward the late stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited knowledge about the extent of individuals' compliance with preventive measures during this transitional period and the potential predictors that determine such compliance behaviors. In this study, we employed the expanded health empowerment model to investigate factors associated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors among Korean adults in late 2022. Our theoretical framework integrates the knowledge-attitude-behavior model with the health belief model to conceptualize health empowerment underlying the formation of preventive behaviors. We collected data from 1100 Korean adults aged 40-69 years through an online survey conducted in October 2022. Participants responded to questions about their knowledge of COVID-19, attitudes towards the disease, adherence to preventive measures, infection history, and sociodemographic characteristics. Structural equation modeling was employed to assess the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behaviors related to COVID-19. Results showed that attitudes toward the disease predict adherence to preventive behaviors. We also found that COVID-19 knowledge partially determined the attitudes toward the disease. However, COVID-19 knowledge was not directly associated with adherence to preventive behaviors. Additionally, the associations between knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behaviors did not differ between infected and never-infected individuals. Overall, this study finds empirical support for the expanded health empowerment model, which connects knowledge to preventive behaviors through positive attitudes toward the disease, while underscoring the limited role of infection history in this association. These findings can help policymakers understand individual responses to public health guidelines in the late pandemic era and develop policies to mitigate further transmission of COVID-19.
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Purpose: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of parents towards prevention of COVID-19 in children with special needs. Relevance: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a rapid global spread. Children with special need are more susceptible to viral infection. Participants: All parents of children with special needs visiting Paediatric Department in tertiary care hospital, Belgavi. Method: An institution based study for sample of 450 participants. Data collection was based on direct interview using a structured questionnaire consisting Knowledge (10 questions), attitude (6 questions), and practice (5 questions). Analysis: Standard descriptive statistics were used for the data, mean and standard deviation for continuous variables whereas frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. Result: Almost all the participant (100%) knew about the present scenario of COVID-19. Majority of the participants were about how COVID-19 spreads and its preventive measures. Most of the parents (72.4%) knew that the children with special needs are more risk of infection. Almost all of the participants (95.8%) knew that their child must wear a mask in public places. Most of the participants (64.9%) did not know that mask should not be worn by children less than two years. Almost 242 parents practiced the all preventive measures for COVID-19. Conclusion: The parents of children with special needs have good knowledge, attitude and practice regarding the prevention of COVID-19 in children with special needs. Implication: Knowledge, attitude and practice of parents will help control epidemic in children.
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BackgroundThe increasing demand for physical therapy services worldwide calls for innovations to be made to meet the challenges of service delivery. However, little is known about the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of digital physical therapy among Nigerian physiotherapists. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the level of KAP of digital physical therapy among physiotherapists in Nigeria.MethodsThis cross-sectional study purposively recruited 150 Nigerian physiotherapists. Copies of modified and validated questionnaires on the KAP of digital physical therapy from a previous study were sent to registered and licensed physiotherapists via electronic survey to assess the KAP of digital physical therapy. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05.ResultsThe mean age of the respondents was 29.76 ± 6.95 years. Most participants (81.3%) have a knowledge level above average, while 18.7% have below average. Furthermore, most (76.0%) of the respondents had a positive attitude toward digital physical therapy. In addition, more than two-thirds, 69.3% uses digital physical therapy platforms for physical therapy practice. Knowledge, attitude, and practice were not significantly associated with sociodemographic characteristics (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there was no significant association between knowledge, attitude, and practice (p > 0.05).ConclusionMany Nigerian physiotherapists demonstrated adequate knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice of digital physical therapy. However, knowledge, attitude, and practice of digital physical therapy were not influenced by sociodemographic characteristics.
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Background: During unprecedented times of COVID- 19, continuing Physiotherapy through conventional mode is tough and limited to certain extent. To overcome the current situation, WCPT has strongly suggested the implementation of Tele-physiotherapy. Many studies have proven efficiency of Tele-rehabilitation in delivering rehabilitative services;still its use is limited in India may be due to knowledge and attitude of physiotherapists. Currently, no valid tool is available for assessing the attitude, knowledge and barrier of tele physiotherapy among Indian physiotherapist. Thus, the aim of the current study is to develop, validate and establish internal consistency of the questionnaire for the same. Participants: 60 physiotherapists with minimum of 1 year of and those who were willing to participate were included. Non-Practicing Physiotherapist were excluded from the study. Method: Questionnaire was drafted on the basis of previous studies under 4 domains: Demographics, Knowledge, Attitude and Barrier. A panel of 5 experts was formulated. A Delphi process was carried out to validate the developed questionnaire. The content validity ratio (CVR) was calculated. The questionnaire was sent to physiotherapists electronically/ physically and data of 60 Physiotherapist was analysed for Cronbach alpha coefficient using SPSS version 20. Results: The content validity ratio for the complete questionnaire was 0.98. 66.7 % of our sample was between the age of 25–35 years with 82.2% Physiotherapists were postgraduate and 26.2% being experienced for more than 10 years. The Cronbach alpha coefficient for internal Consistency of the questionnaire was good (0.77). Conclusion: The questionnaire is as an effective valid and reliable tool to assess knowledge, Attitude, and Barrier towards Tele physiotherapy. Implications: Developing and validating Questionnaire will help us measure the knowledge, Attitude and Barriers towards Tele- Physiotherapy amongst Physiotherapists across India in a comprehensive way. This in turn will help policymakers and Authorities to make new policies/ modify existing ones for effective use of Tele- Physiotherapy.
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Purpose: The outbreak of coronavirus disease has become an evolving global health crisis with wide-ranging implications. Clinical researches from several countries have reported greater morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 patients with diabetes. SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines are currently the relatively effective means of prevention. The research was aimed to explore the attitudes of diabetic patients towards COVID-19 vaccine and the knowledge of COVID-19 related epidemiology and epidemic prevention. Methods: This case-control study was carried out in China via online and offline surveys. Knowledge questionnaire of COVID-19 and drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (DrVac-COVID19S) were used to compare the difference of COVID-19 vaccination attitude, preventive measures, and knowledge of SARS-COV-2 between diabetic patients and healthy citizens. Results: The diabetic patients showed lower vaccination willingness and insufficient knowledge of the transmission route and common symptoms of COVID-19. Only 60.99% diabetic patients were willing to be vaccinated. Less than half of diabetics knew the COVID-19 spread by surface touch (34.04%) or aerosol (20.57%). The common symptoms like shortness of breath/ anorexia/ fatigue/ nausea/vomiting/diarrhea (34.04%) and panic and chest tightness (19.15%) were not well comprehend too. Diabetes patients shown lower report intentions when they contact a person infected with the virus (81.56%) or have any of the disease symptoms (74.47%). Values, knowledge, and autonomy assessed by the DrVac-COVID19S scale also showed negative attitude of vaccination in patients with diabetes. Also, patient with diabetes pay less attention to national (56.03%) and international (51.77%) COVID-19 updates. The willingness to attend COVID-19 lectures (27.66%) or read information leaflets (70.92%) was low. Conclusion: Vaccination is the effective available method for preventing the virus. Social and medical workers can increase the vaccination of diabetic patients through knowledge's popularization and patient's education based on the above differences.
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INTRODUCTION: Healthcare workers involved in procedures that generate aerosol or handling patient specimens are associated with a high possibility of COVID-19 infection. Thus, it is very important for the health workers to understand the knowledge related to transmission, prevention and protocols of COVID-19. METHODS: Cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted on dental hygiene students in Saudi Arabia. An online version of pre-tested and validated questionnaire was used to test the KAP for COVID 19. RESULTS: The mean score for knowledge-related questions was found to be 2.91 ± 1.59, attitude-related questions to be 2.84 ± 1.41 and for practice-related questions to be 4.20 ± 1.36. After converting the scores into percentages, any score <60% was categorized as poor score, 60%-80% as average score and >80% as good score. Students showed poor knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19. But the practice of dental hygiene students towards COVID-19 was found to be good with the score of 83.4%. CONCLUSION: The outcome of this cross-sectional study shows that most of dental hygiene students studying in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are following good practices towards COVID-19 inspite of having poor knowledge and attitude.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased amount of biomedical waste, worsening the already strained biomedical waste management system in India. As biomedical waste handlers are the core of biomedical waste handling, their knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding sorting, segregation, transport, and storage of the waste are of prime concern. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of personnel involved in biomedical waste handling about COVID-19 and its biomedical waste management at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Mangalagiri. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: AIIMS Mangalagiri and common bio-medical waste treatment facility at Guntur. Participants- Personnel involved in bio-medical waste handling Methodology: The study enrolled a total of 139 participants from December 2020 to January 2021. A convenient sampling technique was used and a questionnaire was administered by face-to-face interview. Results: The study showed that half of the participants had favorable knowledge about bio-medical waste management (average score 5.08 and range 1-9). Two-thirds of the respondents felt that handling COVID-19 waste is necessary to contain the infection. Conversely, the practices regarding COVID-19 and its biomedical waste management were not in conformity with attitudes and knowledge. Fewer participants knew the exact sequence of donning (15.80%) and doffing (31.70%). Majority of participants (72.7%) desired a hands-on training for handling biomedical waste. Conclusion: Participants have good knowledge and attitudes regarding COVID-19 bio-medical waste management, but are not adhering to it. This explains the need for comprehensive training programs for all those involved in bio-medical waste management of COVID-19.
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One of the impacts of contact restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic is the increase in self-medication. This study aims to analyze the consumers' knowledge, attitudes, and practice in self-medication of respiratory system disorders at the community pharmacy in Surabaya during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses a quantitative survey method among 415 participants in 15 pharmacies in Surabaya. The KAP questionnaire as a research instrument was designed based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). In this study, 96.14% of participants had a high category of knowledge, 95.90% of participants had high attitudes, and 70.36% of participants had high practice. As many as 16.39% of participants answered that they had never done a swab examination if symptoms of respiratory tract disorders appeared or after close contact with COVID-19 sufferers. A total of 10.6% of participants answered never to take treatment for the initial symptoms and carry out intensive care if infected with COVID-19. A total of 9.64% of participants answered never to follow the health advice of a health care provider and seek medical care immediately if symptoms occur. The answer "never" to this parameter of alert symptoms in practice revealed a large percentage so the presence of pharmacists in the community to provide pharmaceutical care is very important. © 2023 Journal of Advanced Pharmacy Education & Research
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This study aimed to investigate the Chinese pregnant women's levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of self-protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the post-pandemic period, to aid the development of targeted health education. An online questionnaire was conducted for 2156 Chinese pregnant women from October 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, to collect socio-demographic and KAP information. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to determine self-protection-related factors. The mean age of the participants was 30 ± 4.1 years. SEM indicated that pregnant women's level of knowledge can directly and indirectly affect the practice of self-protection (r = 0.23) through their belief, with a correlation coefficient of 0.56 and 0.46 between knowledge and belief and belief and practice, respectively. The "basic protection" and "hospital visits after infection" exerted the greatest impact on knowledge formation, with correlation coefficients of 0.85 and 0.89, respectively. Attitude had a direct effect on practice with a correlation coefficient of 0.46. "Awareness of prevention and control" and "family and social support" had the greatest impact on belief formation, with correlation coefficients of 0.77 and 0.73, respectively. Pregnant Chinese women were generally familiar with COVID-19 knowledge, and their levels of knowledge and beliefs particularly affect the practice of self-protection. Health education aimed at improving pregnant women's knowledge and belief toward self-protection against COVID-19 may be an effective way to guide them toward positive practices and promote their health and that of their babies.
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Background Since the approval of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine for children in 2021, there had been ongoing debates about the necessity of vaccinating children, owing to the seemingly mild nature of the infection in children, despite causing significant morbidity and mortality in the 5-11 age group in 2020-2021, and its association with complications such as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). This sparked the need to evaluate parents' perceptions, knowledge, and the effect of information sources on their decision-making. It is important to understand the various drivers and concerns expressed by parents locally, to shape vaccination campaigns to address such issues. While numerous studies across the world have extensively investigated parental willingness and intention to vaccinate children against COVID-19, it is important to acknowledge that these studies have been conducted before COVID-19 vaccines became approved for children in the respective countries. There is an obvious scarcity of data on the parental knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance of the vaccine for children after the respective countries have approved and provided the vaccine. The present study aims to provide data that could reveal possible barriers to vaccine uptake such as deficits in knowledge, negative attitudes, and poor practices towards the COVID-19 pandemic, and hence address these factors to make the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign, as well as future childhood vaccination campaigns, more successful. Methods This is a cross-sectional online-based survey targeting parents living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with children aged 5-15 years. Data collected from June 23 to July 20, 2022 were analyzed using IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) 28 software. The survey included questions concerning parental and children demographics, parents' level and sources of knowledge about COVID-19 infection and vaccine, attitudes of parents about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, and finally parental practices concerning pandemic preventive measures and COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Results Out of 437 participants, 212 (48.5%) vaccinated their children against COVID-19, and of those who did not, only 22 (9.8%) intended to vaccinate. The most commonly cited reason by parents for vaccinating their children was to reduce complications. The most frequent concern was the novelty and lack of information, and consequently, getting more information was the most selected driver to vaccinate as well as being advised by a doctor. Significant predictors were acceptance of childhood and influenza vaccines, trust in vaccine safety and trust in information provided by health authority websites, and lastly, exposure to positive information on social media. Conclusion A considerable proportion of parents have vaccinated their children against COVID-19; however, concerns about novelty and lack of information persist, leading to a high level of vaccine hesitancy. It is imperative that public health efforts maintain momentum, and that pediatricians incorporate parental education on the COVID-19 vaccine for children, which could potentially play a major role in combating vaccine hesitancy.
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OBJECTIVES: During the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), vaccine is an important way to build and improve the immune barrier of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the population. The purpose of this study is to understand the current situation of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation among Chinese college students during the epidemic of COVID-19, and analyze the influencing factors. METHODS: Using the convenient sampling method, we selected the college students from a comprehensive university in Hunan Province in May 2021 and designed KAP questionnaire about SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation for offline and online survey to analyze the current situation of college students' KAP of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation and the influenting factors. RESULTS: The total score of KAP of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation of Chinese college students was 43.72±5.60. The total score of knowledge was 16.28 ±3.09, and the score of each item was 3.26±0.62. The correct rate of the 5 questions in knowledge was 80.34%, 93.18%, 94.64%, 99.60% and 39.18%, respectively. The total score of attitude was 13.56±2.39, and the score of each item was 3.39±0.60. The total score of behavior was 13.88±2.51, and the score of each item was 3.47±0.63. The total scores of better health status, girls, and medical majors were relatively higher; those of medical majors, older students, and girls had higher scores on vaccination knowledge; those with better health and younger age had higher scores on attitude; those of better health status and girls had higher behavior scores (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: College students' KAP about SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation is generally high, but the knowledge level is relatively low. We should strengthen the propaganda and education for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation related knowledge, and strengthen the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation attitude and behavior of college students. Special attention should be paid to the education of vaccination knowledge for non-medical majors, younger, and male students, the guidance of vaccination attitude for those with poor health and older age, and encouragement of vaccination behavior for those with poor health and boys.
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COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Female , Humans , Male , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Vaccination , StudentsABSTRACT
Purpose: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, various manifestations have been reported, including ophthalmic symptoms, especially with the different mutations and variants that have occurred over the last few years. In view of this, our study was conducted to gauge the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients toward the ophthalmic manifestations of COVID-19. Methods: This was a hospital-based, cross-sectional, observational study. Patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 were asked to answer a detailed questionnaire about their knowledge of COVID-19 ophthalmic symptoms, their experience with the symptoms, and their attitude and practice toward the same. The data collected was analyzed using Microsoft Excel, and the Chi-squared test was used to determine significant differences in the results among different demographic profiles. Results: Our study found that 82 (39%) of the 210 participants were aware that COVID-19 could present with symptoms in the eyes. A total of 47 participants had experienced eye symptoms of COVID-19. Among them, only 15 (31.91%) consulted and received treatment from an ophthalmologist or general physician for the same. Most of them (59.57%) did not seek any treatment, and 8.5% self-medicated or used non-allopathic forms of medicine. The most common symptom was redness of the eyes, reported by 57.44% of those who had eye symptoms. Conclusion: Most people were unaware of ocular manifestations of COVID-19 and most of those who were aware were medical professionals. Amongst those who developed symptoms, only a minority sought medical treatment.
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COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Pandemics , Tertiary Care CentersABSTRACT
PURPOSE: In the absence of recent international recommendations supported by scientific societies like Anesthesiology or Intensive Care Medicine, healthcare professionals (HCP) knowledge on IV fluid is expected to vary. We undertook a cross-sectional survey, aiming to assess prescription patterns and test the knowledge of HCP for IV fluid use in the operating room (OR) and intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: An online international cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 20, 2019, and November 27, 2021. The survey included multiple-choice questions on demographics, practice patterns and knowledge of IV fluids, and a hemodynamically unstable patient assessment. RESULTS: 1045 HCP, from 97 countries responded to the survey. Nearly three-quarters reported the non-existence of internal hospital or ICU-based guidelines on IV fluids. The respondents' mean score on the knowledge assessment questions was 46.4 ± 14.4. The cumulative mean scores were significantly higher among those supervising trainees (p = 0.02), specialists (p < 0.001) and those working in high-income (p < 0.001) countries. Overall performance of respondents on the knowledge testing for IV fluid was unsatisfactory with only 6.5% respondents performed above average. CONCLUSION: There is a wide difference in the knowledge and prescription of IV fluids among the HCP surveyed. These findings reflect the urgent need for education on IV fluids.
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Fluid Therapy , Intensive Care Units , Critical Care , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Adequate knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can reduce its spread and may also be useful in preventing and controlling the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (ARS-CoV-2) in the community. This study examines the influence of women's education level on COVID-19 KAP behaviour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This study uses COVID-19 data obtained from the Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) in Kinshasa, the DRC's capital city. Data were collected through telephone interviews held in June 2020 with a representative sample of 1773 women aged 15-49 years. Data were then analysed using multiple probit regression and marginal effects techniques. To address possible sample selection bias due to the use of a telephone to recruit participants, the data were adjusted to account for the selectivity due to telephone number ownership through inverse probability weighting. In general, the results of this study indicate no statistically significant difference in the influence of the level of education on women's KAP to control the transmission of COVID-19 in the DRC, women with higher levels of education are not found to always exhibit improved knowledge, attitude, or practices of appropriate strategies for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in the DRC. The results also indicate that education can have both positive and negative influences in alleviating the burden of COVID-19.
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BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is an international public health emergency. As hospitals receive more severe forms of COVID-19 that necessitate resuscitation, emergency health care workers (HCW) must follow interim COVID-19 resuscitation guidelines. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice among emergency HCW of the COVID-19 resuscitation protocol by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC). METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire was conducted among HCW in the emergency department of University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia from April to June 2021. RESULTS: A total of 159 respondents were included in the analysis (89% response rate). Sixty-eight percent of respondents had adequate knowledge regarding COVID-19 resuscitation. Majority of the respondents had knowledge on airborne-precaution personal protective equipment (PPE) (99%) and infection control measures (98%). Nearly 73% were pessimistic about the COVID-19 prognosis. Seventy-three percent of respondents thought an arrested COVID-19 patient may benefit from cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and 94% were willing to administer CPR provided airborne-precaution PPE was available. Ninety percent of respondents reported adherence to resuscitation guidelines. There were significant differences in the mean knowledge scores between designation, education levels, and COVID-19 training. Overall, the respondents' level of practice was insufficient (27%), with a mean score of 53.7%(SD = 14.7). There was a lack of practicein the resuscitation oftheintubatedand patients who were beingprone. There was insufficient practice about ventilation technique, use ofsupraglotticdevices, and intubation barriers. There was a positive correlation between adequate knowledge and good practice. CONCLUSION: Emergency HCW have adequate knowledge, but poor compliance to the ERC COVID-19 guidelines. Emergency HCW were willing and confident to resuscitate COVID-19 patients, despite fears of nosocomial infection and expectation of poor patients' prognosis. Ongoing education and trainingprogramsare recommended to improve their knowledge, cultivate a positive attitude, andachievegood compliance with COVID-19 resuscitation guidelines.
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COVID-19 , Cross-Sectional Studies , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Personnel , Hospitals , Humans , Malaysia , Pandemics , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Purpose: Nurses are at the front line in facing the COVID-19 outbreak and are at increased risk of becoming infected and might be the source of transmission in health-care facilities and the community. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitude toward COVID1-19 among nurses in acute care settings in Jordan. This is expected to help with the global initiative to combat the COVID-19 epidemic. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional design was used to survey nurses' knowledge and attitude of COVID-19 among Jordanian nurses working in acute care settings. Findings: The grand mean of knowledge items response was 8.94, implying that respondents possessed a high level of knowledge. The overall attitude score was positive for the participants, with a mean score of 5.93. Moreover, the results showed a significant relationship between knowledge and attitude scores. Originality/value: The findings suggest that nurses in Jordan showed a high level of knowledge and a positive attitude toward COVID-19 during the outbreak's rapid rise period. This study showed specific aspects of knowledge and attitudes that should be focused on in future awareness and educational programs to promote all preventive and safety measures of COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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The study aimed to explore the risk factors for MERS-CoV infection and systematic review of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) with regard to MERS-CoV among the health care workers (HCWs) and the general population. The World Health Organization's MERS-CoV line list (January 2013-January 2020) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was analysed. A Poisson regression model was used to calculate the univariate relative risk of outcomes to each potential risk factor, p-values and 95% confidence intervals. An electronic literature search was conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of the HCWs and general population of the KSA, with regards to transmission of the infection, risk factors and preventative measures. The line list analysis shows that age, gender, comorbidity, exposure to camels and camel milk consumption were associated with an increased risk of fatality; however, year-wise analysis did not show any decline. Over the years, the mean durations between the symptom onset and hospitalization; the hospitalization and laboratory confirmation have reduced. The review of literature shows that the health care workers and the general population had inadequate knowledge about MERS-CoV, lacked motivation and were disconnected from the health authorities. The WHO line list provides information on risk factors for MERS-CoV, KAP analysis helps to know the potential underlying factors. The literature review shows that continuous education for HCWs and increasing public awareness can help effectively manage future MERS-CoV.
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Coronavirus Infections , Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus , Animals , Camelus , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/veterinary , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Background: Promoting technology diffusion and utilization is a key measure to address the great disparity in technical capacity within integrated health systems. However, even the effectiveness and appropriateness regarding technology has been widely recognized, its diffusion and utilization are still stagnant. The mechanisms that influence the technology from being recognized to being widely applied in practice remain largely unknown. Purpose: Taking hepatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) as an example, this study aimed to investigate the comprehensive influencing mechanism of organizational atmosphere and organizational practice on the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward diffusion and utilization of hepatic CEUS in the medical alliance. Methods: Based on the integration of organizational ready for change (ORC) and knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP), a structured questionnaire was developed. A multistage random sampling method was applied to investigate physicians who directly use CEUS working at the liver disease-related departments of sampled health institutions. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to verify the proposed hypotheses, and determine the relationship between the factors. Results: In total, 292 physicians were included. SEM results demonstrated that knowledge influenced both attitude and practice, while attitude positively predicted practice. Organizational practice and organizational atmosphere associated positively with each other. Organizational atmosphere positively affected the physicians' attitude toward CEUS diffusion and utilization (ß = 0.425, p < 0.001), while organizational practice positively affected corresponding knowledge (ß = 0.423, p < 0.001) and practice (ß = 0.275, p < 0.001). Additionally, there was a partial mediating effect between organizational practice and physicians' CEUS diffusion and utilization behavior. Conclusion: By verifying the influencing mechanism of organizational atmosphere and organizational practice on the physicians' KAP of hepatic CEUS diffusion and utilization, this study benefit tailoring strategies for promoting technology diffusion and utilization within medical alliance. It is recommended to develop an organizational atmosphere of advocating technology innovation, establish organizational support mechanism (SM) with multiple concrete supporting countermeasures, and so on.
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Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Liver/diagnostic imaging , Physicians , Ultrasonography , Atmosphere , Contrast Media , Humans , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused increasing concern over health care, part of which involves the role of nutrition. In this study, a nutrition educational board game, featuring quantitative computation, was designed to help students acquire nutrition knowledge and improve dietary behaviors. A group of 22 students in grade 7 of a middle school in Beijing were selected as the participants. A single-group pre-and post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted. Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) questionnaires and interviews were used to investigate students’ changes in dietary knowledge, attitude, and behavior. The influence of gender and body mass index (BMI) on the teaching effectiveness was also explored. The results showed that some dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and behavior significantly increased in the students. Their changes in behavior were mainly related to some aspects that were easier to adjust. In addition, the study also found that females and students with abnormal BMI were more likely to be influenced by the educational game to make positive changes in attitude and behavior. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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BACKGROUND: The first case of the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in West Africa was first confirmed in Nigeria in February 2020. Since then, several public health interventions and preventive measures have been implemented to curtail transmission of the causative agent, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Therefore, this study was performed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of West Africans towards COVID-19. METHODS: An online survey was conducted between 29 September to 29 October 2020 among West Africans. Thirty-three survey questions were designed to collect sociodemographic data and participants' knowledge, attitude and perception towards COVID-19. The study targeted all West African nationals who were 18 years and above, and willing to participate in the study. Participants were either in-country or abroad. RESULTS: Overall, 1106 respondents (≥18 years) from 16 West African countries, with about 12.1% of them residing outside the West African subregion, participated in the survey. The respondents had an average COVID-19 knowledge score of 67.82 ± 8.31, with knowledge of the disease significantly associated with the country of residence (p = 0.00) and marginally (p = 0.05) so with settlement types (i.e., urban, suburban and rural areas). Most respondents (93.4%) could identify the main COVID-19 symptoms, and 73.20% would consult a healthcare professional if infected with SARS-CoV-2. Also, 75.2% of the respondents are willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, whereas 10.40% and 14.40% are unwilling and undecided, respectively. Perceptions of what constitute COVID-19 preventive measures were highly variable. Approximately, 8% of the respondents felt that their government responded excellently in managing the pandemic while a third felt that the response was just good. Also, more than half (54%) opined that isolation and treatment of COVID-19 patients is a way of curbing SARS-CoV-2 spread. CONCLUSIONS: Most West Africans have basic knowledge of COVID-19 and showed a positive attitude, with likely proactive practice towards the disease. However, results showed that these varied across countries and are influenced by the types of settlements. Therefore, the health and education authorities in various countries should develop focused measures capturing people in different settlements to improve their preventative measures when designing public health interventions for COVID-19 and any future epidemics or pandemics.