Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Information Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia.

INTRODUCTION

In the absence of vaccines and specific drugs, prevention effort has been attributed as the primary control mechanism of COVID-19. Knowledge, attitude, and practice are used to determine the current situation and formulate appropriate control interventions as well as risk communication. This study, therefore, aims to assess knowledge, attitude, practice and information needs about COVID-19 in Indonesian society.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey in the third week of August 2020. Purposive and random sampling was used to select the respondents. People with a minimum age of 18 years and residing in Indonesia were allowed to participate in this study. The survey was conducted with an online questionnaire that spread on several platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook by distributing the link and continuous chain messages on that platform. Data were analysed using descriptive, chi-square and logistic regression test.

RESULTS

A total of 816 respondents were included in this study. In general, public knowledge about COVID-19 was sufficient, but some topic areas were still low. Most people had a positive attitude about the COVID-19, but they provided a negative response to government policies. Most of the community has taken preventive measures for COVID-19. However, some behaviours received a low percentage. Information about how to prevent COVID-19 was the most wanted information during this pandemic. Social media was a favourite source of information, with the most popular type of visualisation was a table containing numbers. Age and education were significantly associated with knowledge. Some attitudes were affected by age and occupation scope. Gender and health insurance ownership significantly associated with preventive measures.

CONCLUSION

This research highlights the importance of providing valid, effective, efficient, and continuous information to the public through appropriate channels to increase understanding about COVID-19 precautions.