Ramkumar Sundaram, Vijayalakshmi Srinivasan, Rizvana Shagirunisha, Thirumoolan Ponmozhi, Paulraj Pavatharani, Thirunavukkarasu Pavithra, Senthilkumar Oveya
Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambalur, IND.
Cureus. 2023 Jul 2;15(7):e41272. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41272. eCollection 2023 Jul.
Background COVID-19-appropriate behavior has been recommended by the Government of India to reduce the spread of the disease. However, a lack of awareness, inadequate knowledge, or improper practices regarding personal protective measures have contributed to the ongoing cases in India. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the pattern of behavioral surveillance related to COVID-19 and its preventive measures and also to study the impact of knowledge of COVID-19 on their behavior among the rural population in Tamil Nadu, India. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the rural adult population in Siruvachur Village, Perambalur district, Tamil Nadu, from June to December 2022. The study included adult participants aged 18 years and older who had no previous history of COVID-19 disease. The participants were selected using a systematic random sampling method. A pre-designed and semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess their awareness of COVID-19, knowledge of symptoms, preventive measures, and actual behavioral practices. The collected data were analyzed using IBM Corp. Released 2011. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. The chi-square test and linear regression were employed to assess the association and strength between behavior and knowledge of COVID-19 preventive measures. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results According to the results, 94.7% of the participants reported being aware of COVID-19, with fever being recognized as the most common symptom. Regarding specific preventive measures, 71.5% of participants demonstrated adequate knowledge of handwashing, while only 55.3% had sufficient knowledge of social distancing norms. In terms of mask usage, 62% reported having adequate knowledge of how to use masks to prevent COVID-19 transmission. However, despite having adequate knowledge, the study found that only 11.3% of participants consistently used masks in outdoor settings. This indicates a significant gap between knowledge and actual behavior in mask usage. Furthermore, a significant association was found between knowledge and behavioral practices related to COVID-19 preventive measures, such as mask usage and social distancing. In other words, participants who possessed greater knowledge of these measures were more likely to exhibit corresponding behaviors. On the other hand, the study did not find a significant impact of handwashing knowledge on actual handwashing behavior (p>0.05). Conclusion Despite a relatively high level of knowledge and awareness, there is a significant gap between knowledge and actual behavioral practices, particularly in terms of mask usage and hand hygiene. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to bridge the gap between knowledge and behavior in COVID-19 preventive measures, particularly in terms of consistent mask usage and adherence to social distancing norms. Efforts should focus not only on increasing knowledge but also on promoting behavior change through effective education, awareness campaigns, and practical demonstrations of proper preventive measures.
背景 印度政府已推荐采取与新冠疫情防控相适应的行为来减少疾病传播。然而，在个人防护措施方面，意识缺乏、知识不足或做法不当导致印度的病例持续增加。因此，本研究旨在评估与新冠疫情相关的行为监测模式及其预防措施，并研究新冠疫情知识对印度泰米尔纳德邦农村人口行为的影响。
方法 2022年6月至12月，在泰米尔纳德邦佩拉姆巴卢尔区锡鲁瓦朱尔村的农村成年人口中开展了一项描述性横断面研究。该研究纳入了18岁及以上且既往无新冠病史的成年参与者。参与者采用系统随机抽样方法选取。使用预先设计的半结构化问卷评估他们对新冠疫情的知晓情况、症状知识、预防措施以及实际行为做法。收集的数据使用IBM公司2011年发布的IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 20.0版本进行分析。采用卡方检验和线性回归来评估新冠疫情预防措施的行为与知识之间的关联及强度。p值小于0.05被认为具有统计学意义。
结果 根据结果，94.7%的参与者报告知晓新冠疫情，发热被认为是最常见的症状。关于具体预防措施，71.5%的参与者对手部清洗有足够的了解，而只有55.3%的人对社交距离规范有足够的了解。在口罩使用方面，62%的人报告对如何使用口罩预防新冠病毒传播有足够的了解。然而，尽管有足够的知识，但研究发现只有11.3%的参与者在户外环境中始终佩戴口罩。这表明在口罩使用的知识与实际行为之间存在显著差距。此外，发现与新冠疫情预防措施相关的知识与行为做法之间存在显著关联，如口罩使用和社交距离。换句话说，对这些措施了解更多的参与者更有可能表现出相应的行为。另一方面，研究未发现洗手知识对实际洗手行为有显著影响（p>0.05）。
结论 尽管知识和意识水平相对较高，但知识与实际行为做法之间存在显著差距，尤其是在口罩使用和手部卫生方面。这些发现凸显了需要有针对性的干预措施来弥合新冠疫情预防措施中知识与行为之间的差距，特别是在持续佩戴口罩和遵守社交距离规范方面。努力不仅应侧重于增加知识，还应通过有效的教育、宣传活动以及正确预防措施的实际演示来促进行为改变。
