Knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices regarding the second wave of COVID-19, La Libertad-Peru

ABSTRACT

Objective. To analyze the knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices regarding the second wave of COVID-19 in residents of La Libertad, Peru. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional, correlational design was applied;a duly validated questionnaire was used and data were collected using a virtual form from 294 inhabitants of the department of La Libertad, whose sample was found to meet the required statistical parameters. Results. The characteristics of the respondents were average age of 28.3 +/- 9.9 years and 71.8% women. People with a good level of knowledge and an adequate attitude had characteristics such as married or cohabiting marital status, had children, a higher level of education and had stable work. The variables age and sex are those that were associated with the level of attitude, as well as the fact of knowing the forms of contagion, which was significantly associated with the attitudes and preventive practices of the second wave of COVID-19 Finally, 38.1% of people surveyed indicated that they do not trust the effectiveness of the vaccine Conclusions. Residents presented good levels of knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices. However, it was noted that they are not clear about the ways of contagion. Added to the indifference towards vaccines and the economic crisis, this could have contributed to a significant increase in the number of cases.