Chemistry, Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201306, India
Environmental Science, Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi 110021, India.
Postgrad Med J. 2021 Dec;97(1154):777-781. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-138349. Epub 2020 Sep 10.
WHO has recommended personal hygiene (respiratory hygiene, using face masks, washing hands with warm water and soap, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, avoid touching mouth, eyes & nose, cleanliness), social distancing and careful handling of purchased products as an effective preventive measure for COVID-19 disease. The growing pandemic of COVID-19 disease requires social distancing and personal hygiene measures to protect public health. But this message is not clear and well understood among people. The aim of this study is to determine the awareness, knowledge and attitude about COVID-19 and relate the behaviour of Indian society, especially when the country is restarting all its economic activities, after the complete lockdown.
The present paper is based on an extensive survey among 21 406 adult participants of various sections of Indian society with different age groups between 18 and 80 years to introspect the level of public awareness with respect to cause, spread, prevention and treatment of disease caused by spread of COVID-19 viral outbreak, which will be automatically reflected in the societal behavioural response of rigorous precautionary measures.
There is a need to extend the knowledge base among individuals to enhance their active participation in the prevention mechanisms with respect to the spread of the pandemic. There is a need to elaborate the Indian socio-cultural aspects, so that society starts appreciating and voluntarily following social distancing. This should improve the adaptability of people with livelihood resilience to let them protect themselves not only from the present pandemic but also from all other unforeseen infections, and to provide care to patients.
世界卫生组织（WHO）推荐个人卫生（呼吸道卫生、佩戴口罩、用温肥皂水洗手、使用含酒精的手部消毒剂、避免触摸口、眼、鼻）、保持社交距离和谨慎处理购买的产品，作为预防 COVID-19 疾病的有效措施。COVID-19 疾病的不断蔓延，需要采取保持社交距离和个人卫生措施来保护公众健康。但这一信息在民众中并不明确，也没有被很好地理解。本研究旨在确定印度社会对 COVID-19 的认识、知识和态度，并了解其行为，特别是在该国完全封锁后，重新启动所有经济活动时的情况。
本研究基于对印度社会各阶层的 21406 名成年参与者进行的广泛调查，参与者年龄在 18 至 80 岁之间，旨在深入了解公众对 COVID-19 病毒传播引起的疾病的原因、传播、预防和治疗的认识水平，这将自动反映在社会对严格预防措施的行为反应中。
需要扩展个人的知识基础，以增强他们对预防大流行传播的积极参与。需要详细阐述印度社会文化方面的内容，以便社会开始欣赏并自愿遵守保持社交距离。这将提高人们的适应能力和韧性，使他们不仅能够保护自己免受当前的大流行感染，还能预防所有其他不可预见的感染，并为患者提供护理。
