Public Awareness Toward Coronavirus Disease-2019.

Bdair, Izzeddin A; Alshloul, Mohammad N; Maribbay, Gladys L

BACKGROUND The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has become a global issue of concern. Since its occurrence, about 18 million cases have been reported globally and about 280 000 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the general population toward COVID-19. METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted. A questionnaire was built by the researchers that was composed of demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices sections. RESULTS The sample was composed of 575 participants. The mean scores of knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 16.48 ± 2.90, 10.01 ± 2.18, and 8.91 ± 1.91, respectively. The Ministry of Health constitutes the main source of participants' information. CONCLUSION The findings showed that participants have good knowledge, positive attitudes, and satisfactory practices toward COVID-19. Yet, areas of low knowledge and negative attitudes were noticed. However, further studies are recommended to design an effective measure to control the disease.