Knowledge, attitudes and practices associated with the COVID-19 among slum dwellers resided in Dhaka City: A Bangladeshi interview-based survey

Islam, M. S.; Emran, M. G. I.; Rahman, M. E.; Banik, R.; Sikder, M. T.; Smith, L.; Hossain, S.

Background: The emergent COVID-19 has impacted unprecedentedly to all classes of people. Slum-dwellers' knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 are currently poorly understood. To investigate the KAP towards COVID-19 among slum dwellers resided in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional offline survey was carried out enrolling 406 slum dwellers (53.2% male; mean age=44.9 years [SD=12.1]; age range=18-85 years) between August and September, 2020. The face to face interview was conducted to collect data from 6 selected slum areas in Dhaka City using convenience sampling. The questionnaire consisted of informed consent along with questions concerning observational checklists, socio-demographics, and KAP. Results: A sizeable minority were observed without wearing face masks during the survey periods (18.2%) and a vast portion (97.5%) without any hand protection. The mean scores of KAP were 6.1plus-or-minus sign2.6 (out of 17), 12.3plus-or-minus sign1.7 (out of 14), and 9.8plus-or-minus sign1.6 (out of 12), respectively. Moreover, the KAP were strongly and positively correlated with each other. Conclusions: The findings revealed that the majority of slum dwellers in Bangladesh have limited knowledge of COVID-19. Poor practices (i.e., face mask and hand protection) were directly observed during the survey. The findings suggest the immediate implementation of health education programs and adequate interventions.