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. 2022 Apr 3;19(7):4287.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074287.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices concerning COVID-19 Outbreaks in the General Population in Malang District, Indonesia

Sujarwoto Sujarwoto  1 , Holipah Holipah  2 , Asri Maharani  3
Affiliations

A Cross-Sectional Study of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices concerning COVID-19 Outbreaks in the General Population in Malang District, Indonesia

Sujarwoto Sujarwoto et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Lack of knowledge often leads to nonchalant attitudes and improper practices that expose people to greater risks during a pandemic. Therefore, improving the general public’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) concerning coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can play a pivotal role in reducing the risks, especially in a country such as Indonesia with its scarcity of health resources for testing and tracing. Using the case of Malang District, this study set out to evaluate KAP regarding COVID-19 and its risk factors immediately after the Malang health authorities implemented various preventive measures. A population-based survey involving 3425 individuals was carried out between 1 May and 20 May 2020. Our findings revealed that less than half of the respondents demonstrated accurate knowledge (25.3%), positive attitudes (36.6%), or frequent best practices (48.8%) with regard to COVID-19 prevention. The results of logistic regression analyses showed that more accurate knowledge was associated with more positive attitudes and more frequent best practices (OR = 1.603, p-value < 0.001; OR = 1.585, p-value < 0.001, respectively). More positive attitudes were also associated with more frequent best practices (OR = 1.126, p-value < 0.001). The level of KAP varied according to sociodemographic characteristics, access to the services of community health workers, and mobile health technology for COVID-19 screening. Some global health proposals to improve health behaviors among the general public in the context of the scarcity of health resource settings are suggested based on the study findings.

Keywords: COVID-19; Indonesia; KAP; cross-sectional study; district; scarce health resources.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Multiple logistic regression results: knowledge about COVID-19.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Multiple logistic regression results: attitudes towards COVID-19 prevention.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Multiple logistic regression results: practices toward COVID-19 prevention.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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