Knowledge, Risk Perception, and Adherence to Preventive Behaviors of an Egyptian Community towards COVID 19 Pandemic | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine | ||
| Article 2, Volume 40, Issue 3, July 2022, Pages 164-172 PDF (978.18 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejcm.2021.90645.1185 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Asmaa Abdelghany Elsheikh* 1; Marwa Mohammad Mohasseb2 | ||
| 1Community and Occupational medicine department, Faculty of medicine for Girls, Al Azhar University | ||
| 2Family Medicine department, Menoufia Faculty of Medicine, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: COVID-19’s knowledge, public perceptions of the pandemic, and associated risk are important contributing factors that enhance public participation in disease preventive behaviors as well as lowering deterioration of the case and the need for hospitalization. Objectives: To assess knowledge about COVID-19, risk perceptions, adherence to disease preventive behaviors. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 400 Egyptian citizens, who are ≥18 years old and agreed to participate in the study. The respondents fulfill a questionnaire asking about socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, risk perception, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and adherence to preventive behaviors of COVID-19. Results: the analysis of data indicated that respondents' mean age was 26.8 ±9 years, none of the respondents know about the asymptomatic manifestation of the disease, 61.8% perceived a high chance of infection and 84.5% perceived that contracting COVID-19 represent a serious event. Female sex, better knowledge, and increased risk perception are more likely to enhance preventive behaviors. Regression analyses revealed that adherence to preventive behaviors is differed by sex (β =2.2, P<0.05), perceived benefits (β =1.2, P<0.05), residence (β =.97, P<0.05), knowledge (β =.93, P<0.05) working status (β =.91, P<0.05), risk perception (β =.23, P<0.05), and perceived barriers (β = -.68, P<0.05). Conclusions: Studied respondents ignore the asymptomatic manifestation of the disease. Female sex and perceived benefits from preventive behaviors are the main influencing factor for their adherence. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Keywords: COVID-19 knowledge; Risk perception; Preventive behaviors | ||
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