Precautionary Measures and Illness Attitudes toward COVID-19 among a Sample of the Kuwaiti Population

Abstract

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, several strict measures have been recommended to prevent and control the spread of the virus worldwide. This study aims to examine the associations between precautionary health behaviors (eating vitamins, washing hands continuously, eating healthy food, putting on masks, wearing gloves, and maintaining a safe distance) and illness attitudes (worry about illness, concern about pain, hypochondriacal beliefs, thanatophobia, and treatment experience). An online questionnaire was distributed to 1,413 Kuwaiti participants using the convenience-sampling method via the WhatsApp application. The online survey collected data based on the Illness Attitude toward COVID-19 Scale (IATCS) and on demographics. The findings of the study show that there are significant associations between the illness attitudes of participants and the precautionary health behaviors they adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait. Illness attitudes toward COVID-19 significantly affect the health behaviors of individuals. The health behaviors become precautionary measures aimed at preventing infection from COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Kuwait; Precautious; health; illness attitudes.