Pharmacy Department, Hospital Taiping, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Taiping, Malaysia.
Clinical Research Centre, Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Ipoh, Malaysia.
BMC Public Health. 2024 May 14;24(1):1311. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18739-9.
Although COVID-19 has entered the endemic phase, individuals infected with COVID-19 are required to adhere to home quarantine measures. By exploring the public's knowledge and attitude towards recommended home quarantine measures, their readiness in containing potential COVID-19 outbreak can be determined. This study aimed to assess the public knowledge and attitude towards home quarantine instructions and their association with history of COVID-19 infections.
This was a web-based cross-sectional study conducted among the public in Malaysia between August to October 2022. All Malaysian adults over 18 years of age were included. Knowledge on home quarantine instructions and COVID-19 warning signs were measured using "True," "False," or "I'm not sure", while attitude towards home quarantine instructions was measured using a five-point Likert Scale. The questionnaire was initially constructed in English and then translated into the national language, Bahasa Malaysia. Face and content validation were performed. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was found to be satisfactory.
1,036 respondents were analyzed, comprised mostly of females (743, 71.6%) with a history of COVID-19 (673, 64.9%). In the knowledge domain, more than 80% of the respondents answered 9 out of 11 home quarantine instructions statements correctly. 457 (44.1%) were unaware or unsure about the minimum distance of the infected individual's bed from the rest of the occupants in a shared bedroom. The respondents reported relatively weaker knowledge in identifying uncommon warning signs of COVID-19 deterioration, including anuria (162, 44.5%), ingestion problems (191, 52.5%), and immobility (195, 53.6%). In the attitude domain, more than 90% of respondents answered correctly in 8 out of 9 questions. Respondents with a previous history of COVID-19 infections had better knowledge than COVID-19 infection-naïve individuals towards both home quarantine instructions and COVID-19 warning signs.
Most respondents had good knowledge and attitude towards home quarantine instructions, with those previously infected with COVID-19 showing greater awareness of uncommon warning signs. However, there was a notable lack of awareness regarding physical distancing within shared rooms, appropriate disinfectant use and mobility limitation within the household. This study highlights the knowledge gaps to be improved in future educational campaigns.
尽管 COVID-19 已进入地方性流行阶段，但感染 COVID-19 的个人仍需遵守居家隔离措施。通过探索公众对推荐的居家隔离措施的知识和态度，可以确定他们对潜在 COVID-19 爆发的准备情况。本研究旨在评估公众对居家隔离指示的知识和态度，以及这些知识和态度与 COVID-19 感染史之间的关系。
这是一项于 2022 年 8 月至 10 月期间在马来西亚进行的基于网络的横断面研究。所有 18 岁以上的马来西亚成年人都被纳入研究。通过“正确”“错误”或“不确定”来衡量对居家隔离指示和 COVID-19 警告信号的知识，通过五点 Likert 量表来衡量对居家隔离指示的态度。问卷最初用英语编写，然后翻译成国家语言马来语。进行了表面和内容验证。问卷的内部一致性被发现是令人满意的。
分析了 1036 名受访者，其中大多数是女性（743 名，71.6%），且有 COVID-19 感染史（673 名，64.9%）。在知识领域，超过 80%的受访者正确回答了 11 个居家隔离指示中的 9 个。457 名（44.1%）受访者不知道或不确定感染个体的床与共享卧室中其他居住者之间的最小距离。受访者在识别 COVID-19 恶化的不常见警告信号方面的知识相对较弱，包括无尿（162 名，44.5%）、摄入问题（191 名，52.5%）和活动受限（195 名，53.6%）。在态度领域，超过 90%的受访者在 8 个问题中正确回答了 9 个问题。与 COVID-19 感染无既往史的个体相比，既往感染过 COVID-19 的个体对居家隔离指示和 COVID-19 警告信号的知识和态度更好。
大多数受访者对居家隔离指示有良好的知识和态度，既往感染过 COVID-19 的个体对不常见警告信号的认识更强。然而，在共享房间内的身体距离、适当的消毒剂使用以及家庭内的活动受限方面，人们的认识明显不足。本研究突出了未来教育活动中需要改进的知识差距。
