Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was declared a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early March 2020. Globally, extraordinary measures are being adopted to combat the formidable spread of the ongoing outbreak. Under such conditions, people's adherence to preventi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-08-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00482/full |
| _version_ | 1818149339401289728 |
|---|---|
| author | Rina Tripathi Saad S. Alqahtani Ahmed A. Albarraq Abdulkarim M. Meraya Pankaj Tripathi David Banji Saeed Alshahrani Waquar Ahsan Fatimah M. Alnakhli |
| author_facet | Rina Tripathi Saad S. Alqahtani Ahmed A. Albarraq Abdulkarim M. Meraya Pankaj Tripathi David Banji Saeed Alshahrani Waquar Ahsan Fatimah M. Alnakhli |
| author_sort | Rina Tripathi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was declared a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early March 2020. Globally, extraordinary measures are being adopted to combat the formidable spread of the ongoing outbreak. Under such conditions, people's adherence to preventive measures is greatly affected by their awareness of the disease.Aim: This study was aimed to assess the level of awareness and preparedness to fight against COVID-19 among the healthcare workers (HCWs) and other residents of the South-West Saudi Arabia.Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-developed structured questionnaire that was randomly distributed online among HCWs and other residents (age ≥ 12 years) of South-West Saudi Arabia for feedback. The collected data were analyzed using Stata 15 statistical software.Results: Among 1,000 participants, 36.7% were HCWs, 53.9% were female, and 44.1% were aged ≥ 30 years. Majority of respondents showed awareness of COVID-19 (98.7%) as a deadly, contagious, and life-threatening disease (99.6%) that is transmitted through human-to-human contact (97.7%). They were familiar with the associated symptoms and common causes of COVID-19. Health organizations were chosen as the most reliable source of information by majority of the participants (89.6%). Hand hygiene (92.7%) and social distancing (92.3%) were the most common preventive measures taken by respondents that were followed by avoiding traveling (86.9%) to an infected area or country and wearing face masks (86.5%). Significant proportions of HCWs (P < 0.05) and more educated participants (P < 0.05) showed considerable knowledge of the disease, and all respondents displayed good preparedness for the prevention and control of COVID-19. Age, gender, and area were non-significant predictors of COVID-19 awareness.Conclusion: As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to improve the awareness and preparedness of the targeted community members, especially the less educated ones. Educational interventions are urgently needed to reach the targeted residents beyond borders and further measures are warranted. The outcome of this study highlighted a growing need for the adoption of innovative local strategies to improve awareness in general population related to COVID-19 and its preventative practices in order to meet its elimination goals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T13:05:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-991e5a3139874c34be1adfc9191f40ed |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T13:05:28Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-991e5a3139874c34be1adfc9191f40ed2022-12-22T01:06:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652020-08-01810.3389/fpubh.2020.00482556302Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional SurveyRina Tripathi0Saad S. Alqahtani1Ahmed A. Albarraq2Abdulkarim M. Meraya3Pankaj Tripathi4David Banji5Saeed Alshahrani6Waquar Ahsan7Fatimah M. Alnakhli8Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaBackground: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was declared a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early March 2020. Globally, extraordinary measures are being adopted to combat the formidable spread of the ongoing outbreak. Under such conditions, people's adherence to preventive measures is greatly affected by their awareness of the disease.Aim: This study was aimed to assess the level of awareness and preparedness to fight against COVID-19 among the healthcare workers (HCWs) and other residents of the South-West Saudi Arabia.Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-developed structured questionnaire that was randomly distributed online among HCWs and other residents (age ≥ 12 years) of South-West Saudi Arabia for feedback. The collected data were analyzed using Stata 15 statistical software.Results: Among 1,000 participants, 36.7% were HCWs, 53.9% were female, and 44.1% were aged ≥ 30 years. Majority of respondents showed awareness of COVID-19 (98.7%) as a deadly, contagious, and life-threatening disease (99.6%) that is transmitted through human-to-human contact (97.7%). They were familiar with the associated symptoms and common causes of COVID-19. Health organizations were chosen as the most reliable source of information by majority of the participants (89.6%). Hand hygiene (92.7%) and social distancing (92.3%) were the most common preventive measures taken by respondents that were followed by avoiding traveling (86.9%) to an infected area or country and wearing face masks (86.5%). Significant proportions of HCWs (P < 0.05) and more educated participants (P < 0.05) showed considerable knowledge of the disease, and all respondents displayed good preparedness for the prevention and control of COVID-19. Age, gender, and area were non-significant predictors of COVID-19 awareness.Conclusion: As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to improve the awareness and preparedness of the targeted community members, especially the less educated ones. Educational interventions are urgently needed to reach the targeted residents beyond borders and further measures are warranted. The outcome of this study highlighted a growing need for the adoption of innovative local strategies to improve awareness in general population related to COVID-19 and its preventative practices in order to meet its elimination goals.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00482/fullCOVID-19coronavirusoutbreakawarenesspreparednesshealthcare |
| spellingShingle | Rina Tripathi Saad S. Alqahtani Ahmed A. Albarraq Abdulkarim M. Meraya Pankaj Tripathi David Banji Saeed Alshahrani Waquar Ahsan Fatimah M. Alnakhli Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey Frontiers in Public Health COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak awareness preparedness healthcare |
| title | Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full | Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_fullStr | Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_short | Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_sort | awareness and preparedness of covid 19 outbreak among healthcare workers and other residents of south west saudi arabia a cross sectional survey |
| topic | COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak awareness preparedness healthcare |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00482/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rinatripathi awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT saadsalqahtani awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT ahmedaalbarraq awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT abdulkarimmmeraya awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT pankajtripathi awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT davidbanji awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT saeedalshahrani awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT waquarahsan awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey AT fatimahmalnakhli awarenessandpreparednessofcovid19outbreakamonghealthcareworkersandotherresidentsofsouthwestsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalsurvey |