Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards COVID-19 in Tanzania, April 2020 - June 2021

ABSTRACT

Introduction/ Background: Public must routinely practice precautionary behaviors to control the spread of COVID-19. This paper measured changes in the public's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 at different intervals to provide recommendations for behavioral interventions and policies in the country. Methods: We conducted three cross-sectional surveys between May 2020 to February 2021 involving 5231 Tanzanians (KAP1-1822;KAP2-1813 & KAP3-1596) residing in all 8 zones, where one region/zone was selected randomly. KAP-1 and 2 were conducted between May and August 2020, and KAP-3 in February 2021. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. We determined the level of comprehensive Knowledge, Attitude and Practice. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and t- tests were used in data analysis. Results: Among 5231 respondents, 53.6% were males. Mean age ranged between 31.6 to 37.0 years. Majority (35.9%) completed primary school. COVID-19 awareness in all KAPs was very high (over 98%). Comprehensive knowledge increased from 37.3% in KAP-1 to 44.9% in KAP-3;p=0.001. Strongly positive attitude towards different Covid-19 preventive measures declined from 68.4% in KAP-1 to 59.5% in KAP-3. The need for COVID-19 vaccines has significantly dropped from 93.3% in KAP-1 to 68.5% in KAP-3. Lowest recorded mean practices scores were in KAP- 2 (28.2 (SD=12.9)) compared to 71.6 (SD=15.9) in KAP-1. Radio and TV were the most preferred source of information. Impact The findings are expected to generate a better understanding of the drivers and barriers for COVID- 19 spread, prevention and possible control measures to inform Risk Communication and Community Engagement in the country. Conclusion: Results highlight the importance of consistent messaging from health authorities using preferred channels, as well as the need for tailored health education programs. Furthermore, reinforcing /supporting beliefs of self-efficacy and effectiveness of the recommended COVID-19 prevention and control measures is important.