Assessment of Knowledge, Perceptions and Perceived Risk Concerning COVID-19 in Pakistan

Authors

Ayesha Haque^{1, *}, Sadaf Mumtaz^2, , Rafia Mumtaz^3, , Farheen Masood⁴, Hudebia Allah Buksh^5, , Amal Ahmed⁶, Osama Khattak⁷

¹Department of Anatomy, Dental College, HITEC-Institute of Medical Sciences, Affiliated with National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

²Department of Physiology, HITEC-Institute of Medical Sciences, Affiliated with National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

³Department of Computing, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan

⁴Department of Anatomy, Margalla Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan

⁵Department of Medical Education, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Karachi, Pakistan

⁶Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW72BU, UK

⁷Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Dental College, HITEC-Institute of Medical Sciences, Affiliated with National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

^*Corresponding author. Email: ayhaq12@gmail.com

DOI

10.2991/jegh.k.210109.001How to use a DOI?

Keywords

COVID-19; perceptions; knowledge; coronavirus; risk assessment; myths; pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of unmatched scale and severity. A continued state of crisis has been met with poor public adherence to preventive measures and difficulty implementing public health policy. This study aims to identify and evaluate the factors underlying such a response. Thus, it assesses the knowledge, perceived risk, and trust in the sources of information in relation to the novel coronavirus disease at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire was completed between March 20 and 27, 2020. Knowledge, perceptions, and perceived risk (Likert scale) were assessed for 737 literate participants of a representative sample in an urban setting. We found that respondents’ risk perception for novel coronavirus disease was high. The perceived risk score for both cognitive and affective domains was raised at 2.24 ± 1.3 (eight items) and 3.01 ± 1 (seven items) respectively. Misconceptions and gaps in knowledge regarding COVID-19 were noted. Religious leadership was the least trusted (10%) while health authorities were the most trusted (35%) sources of information. Our findings suggest that there was a deficiency in knowledge and high concern about the pandemic, leading to a higher risk perception, especially in the affective domain. Thus, we recommend comprehensive education programs, planned intensive risk communication, and a concerted effort by all stakeholders to mitigate the spread of disease. The first of its kind in the region, this study will be critical to response efforts against current and future outbreaks.

Copyright

© 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press International B.V.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ayesha Haque
AU  - Sadaf Mumtaz
AU  - Rafia Mumtaz
AU  - Farheen Masood
AU  - Hudebia Allah Buksh
AU  - Amal Ahmed
AU  - Osama Khattak
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/01/20
TI  - Assessment of Knowledge, Perceptions and Perceived Risk Concerning COVID-19 in Pakistan
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
SP  - 186
EP  - 193
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
SN  - 2210-6014
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/jegh.k.210109.001
DO  - 10.2991/jegh.k.210109.001
ID  - Haque2021
ER  -