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. 2024 Feb 29:12:1306284.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1306284. eCollection 2024.

Absence of short-term changes in knowledge and attitudes among household contacts of COVID-19 cases during the post-acute phase of the pandemic in Catalonia and Navarre, Spain

Vanessa Bullón-Vela  1   2 , Diana Toledo  3   4 , Aitziber Echeverría  1 , Pere Godoy  3   5   6 , Manuel García Cenoz  1   2   3 , Ignasi Parrón  4   7 , Jesús Castilla  1   2   3 , Angela Domínguez  3   4 , Iván Martínez-Baz  1   2   3
Affiliations

Absence of short-term changes in knowledge and attitudes among household contacts of COVID-19 cases during the post-acute phase of the pandemic in Catalonia and Navarre, Spain

Vanessa Bullón-Vela et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate short-term changes in knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 and preventive measures during the post-acute phase of the pandemic in Spain.

Methods: A survey was performed in Catalonia and Navarre between May-2022 and July-2023 in household contacts of COVID-19 cases. Knowledge and attitude were assessed at baseline and at three months, using a Likert scale. Responses were grouped according to correct or incorrect.

Results: At baseline, 172 subjects were contacted, 118 (69%) of which completed a follow-up interview three months later. Knowledge of correct hand-washing and mask protocols had maintained over time (-1.7%, p = 0.553 and - 2.5%, p = 0.473, respectively). Attitudes toward preventive measures was adequate in the first interview (86%), but attitudes regarding use of face masks decreased significantly (-9.1%, p = 0.048) over time in participants with higher risk of severe COVID-19. However, most short-term changes in knowledge and attitudes were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Household contacts showed correct knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 and its preventive measures, without significant changes in the short term despite a relaxation of government-mandated preventive measures. These results provide relevant information in case of a new health emergency due to respiratory viruses.

Keywords: COVID-19; attitude; household contacts; knowledge; preventive measures.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart summarizing recruitment and retention of study participants (Spain, May 2022 until July 2023).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Use of sources of information from baseline to post-3 months (Spain, May 2022 until July 2023).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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