Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Prevention of COVID-19 in Jigjiga Town, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author(s): Abdifatah Elmi Farah, Olusola Oladeji, Abdulahi Haji Abas, Ahmed Tahir

Introduction COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered novel coronavirus. The first confirmed case in Ethiopia was recorded on 13th of March 2020 and on 26th of April in Somali region of Ethiopia. The objective of this study is to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices and their associated factors in Jigjiga town of Ethiopia. Methods A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jigjiga town from 22nd -30th April 2020. Data was cleaned and exported to SPSS version 20 and Initial analysis were done using a chi-squared testing followed by bivariate and multivariate analysis and the level of statistical significance at p value of 0.05. Result A total of 606 respondents representing households participated in this study. The mean knowledge score was 9.6 (SD: 2.9, range: 3-18) translating to an average correct rate of 53%. Only 31.8% had a positive/correct attitude and the rest 68.2% had an incorrect attitude about COVID-19. As for preventive practices, 41.7% of respondents reported washing hands with soap and water, 70% avoided going to crowded places, 75.6% stopped handshaking and 57.9% covered their mouth/nose when coughing/sneezing. Factors such as residence, education, number rooms, Knowledge score and attitude score have shown significant association with the preventive practices assessed. Conclusion The knowledge, attitude and practice level towards COVID-19 is not optimum at household level in Jigjiga town. More community engagement targeting households is necessary to achieve an optimal behavioral change.