| Literature DB >> 32941447 |
Zhi-Hao Li1, Xi-Ru Zhang1, Wen-Fang Zhong1, Wei-Qi Song1, Zheng-He Wang1, Qing Chen1, Dan Liu1, Qing-Mei Huang1, Dong Shen1, Pei-Liang Chen1, Ang Mao2, Duo Zhang3, Xingfen Yang3, Xian-Bo Wu1, Chen Mao1.
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has recently emerged as a global threat. Understanding workers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding this new infectious disease is crucial to preventing and controlling it. This study aimed to assess KAP regarding COVID-19 during the outbreak among workers in China. The present study was part of a cross-sectional online survey study conducted based on a large labor-intensive factory, which has 180,000 workers from various Chinese provinces, from 2 February 2020 to 7 February 2020. KAP related to COVID-19 were measured by 32 items, each item was measured with an agree/disagree/unclear format, and only correct responses were given 1 point. KAP regarding COVID-19 were measured with 20 items, 6 items and 6 items, respectively. A total of 123,768 valid responses (68.8%) were included in the analysis. Generally, the levels of knowledge (mean: 16.3 out of 20 points), attitudes (mean: 4.5 out of 6 points), and practices (mean: 5.8 out of 6 points) related to COVID-19 were high. Only 36,373 respondents (29.4%) disagreed that gargling with salt water is effective in protecting against COVID-19. Moreover, older respondents had decreased levels of knowledge and practices related to COVID-19 (both P values for the trend <0.001), while better-educated respondents had increased levels of knowledge and practices related to COVID-19 (both P values for the trend <0.001). These results suggest that Chinese workers are highly aware of COVID-19, but health authorities still need to provide correct information on COVID-19 prevention and strengthen health interventions, particularly for older and less-educated workers.Entities:
Mesh:
Year: 2020 PMID: 32941447 PMCID: PMC7498029 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008584
Source DB: PubMed Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis ISSN: 1935-2727
Characteristics of workers in China, February 2-February 7, 2020 (n = 123,768).
| Characteristic | Number (%) | 95% CI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Men | 87330 (70.6) | 70.3–70.8 | |
| Women | 36438 (29.4) | 29.2–29.7 | |
| Age group, years | |||
| <25 | 24476 (19.8) | 19.6–20.0 | |
| 25–34 | 69847 (56.4) | 56.2–56.7 | |
| 35–44 | 26352 (21.3) | 21.1–21.5 | |
| ≥45 | 3093 (2.5) | 2.4–2.6 | |
| Education levels | |||
| College degree or above | 38499 (31.1) | 30.8–31.4 | |
| High school | 48522 (39.2) | 38.9–39.5 | |
| Junior high school | 35682 (28.8) | 28.6–29.1 | |
| Primary school and below | 1065 (0.9) | 0.8–0.9 | |
| Marital status | |||
| Unmarried | 69617 (56.2) | 56.0–56.5 | |
| Married | 49983 (40.4) | 40.1–40.7 | |
| Divorced | 2788 (2.3) | 2.2–2.3 | |
| Others | 1380 (1.1) | 1.1–1.2 | |
| Living area in last two weeks | |||
| Hubei Province | 9924 (8.0) | 7.8–8.1 | |
| Other provinces | 113844 (92.0) | 91.8–92.1 | |
| Family members or relatives infected | |||
| No | 123636 (99.9) | 99.9–99.9 | |
| Yes | 132 (0.1) | 0.1–0.1 | |
CI: confidence interval.
Questions, preferred responses, and participants’ responses from the knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey among workers in China, February 2-February 7, 2020.
| Questions | Preferred response | Number (%) | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|
| The main symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, fatigue and dry cough | Agree | 112235 (90.7) | 90.5–90.8 |
| Fever develops in all patients with COVID-19 infection | Disagree | 40327 (32.6) | 32.3–32.8 |
| Patients with COVID-19 infection are not contagious if they do not have a fever | Disagree | 94926 (76.7) | 76.5–76.9 |
| No specific antiviral has been approved for the treatment of COVID-19, but supportive care and symptomatic treatment can be highly effective for those infected | Agree | 110393 (89.2) | 89.0–89.4 |
| Not all patients with COVID-19 infection will develop critical cases; rather, only cases of elderly people or those with underlying chronic diseases will be critical | Agree | 75423 (60.9) | 60.7–61.2 |
| Children and infants don’t need to take preventive measures against COVID-19 | Disagree | 108776 (87.9) | 87.7–88.1 |
| Eating or having contact with wild animals can cause COVID-19 infections | Agree | 114058 (92.2) | 92.0–92.3 |
| COVID-19 can spread through small droplets | Agree | 118239 (95.5) | 95.4–95.6 |
| COVID-19 can spread through direct contact | Agree | 114536 (92.5) | 92.4–92.7 |
| Wearing medical face masks is effective in protecting against COVID-19 | Agree | 82431 (66.6) | 66.3–66.9 |
| Living, studying or working together with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 may lead to infection | Agree | 118383 (95.6) | 95.5–95.8 |
| Living in the same ward as a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 may lead to infection | Agree | 119703 (96.7) | 96.6–96.8 |
| Taking the same bus or train with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 may lead to infection | Agree | 118330 (95.6) | 95.5–95.7 |
| Avoiding going to crowded places can protect against COVID-19 | Agree | 119417 (96.5) | 96.4–96.6 |
| Frequent hand washing is effective in protecting against COVID-19 | Agree | 116158 (93.9) | 93.7–94.0 |
| Staying at home is effective in protecting against COVID-19 | Agree | 119703 (96.7) | 96.6–96.8 |
| Gargling with salt water is effective in protecting against COVID-19 | Disagree | 36373 (29.4) | 29.1–29.6 |
| Vitamin C and Banlangen granules are effective in protecting against COVID-19 | Disagree | 58978 (47.7) | 47.4–47.9 |
| Early isolation of and care for patients is effective in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 | Disagree | 118017 (95.4) | 95.2–95.5 |
| People who are in close contact with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 infection should be isolated and observed as soon as possible, and the medical observation period is often 14 days | Agree | 119299 (96.4) | 96.3–96.5 |
| COVID-19 is a serious disease | Agree | 114235 (92.3) | 92.1–92.4 |
| I am worried about being infected with COVID-19 | Agree | 63566 (51.4) | 51.1–51.6 |
| I am afraid of cured patients who were previously infected with COVID-19 | Disagree | 58213 (47.0) | 46.7–47.3 |
| I could tell if I had symptoms of COVID-19 | Agree | 87991 (77.1) | 76.9–77.3 |
| I know how to protect myself from COVID-19 infection | Agree | 116446 (94.1) | 94.0–94.2 |
| If I show symptoms of COVID-19, I know where to go for treatment | Agree | 114200 (92.3) | 92.2–92.4 |
| I understand and follow the standards for wearing a mask during epidemics | Agree | 120880 (97.7) | 97.6–97.8 |
| I understand and follow the standards for washing hands during epidemics | Agree | 120928 (97.7) | 97.6–97.8 |
| I stay at home as much as possible except when necessary (such as for medical treatment and food purchases) during epidemics | Agree | 121226 (97.9) | 97.9–98.0 |
| I do not trust or forward false and unverified information during epidemics | Agree | 120701 (97.5) | 97.4–97.6 |
| I actively forward official information and take the initiative to share scientific information during epidemics | Agree | 113360 (91.6) | 91.4–91.8 |
| If I show symptoms of COVID-19, I will actively seek treatment | Agree | 120104 (97.0) | 96.9–97.1 |
CI: confidence interval.
Multivariate analysis of factors associated with poor knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to COVID-19 among workers in China, February 2-February 7, 2020.
| Characteristic | Knowledge | AOR | Attitudes | AOR | Practices | AOR (95% CI) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Poor | Good | Poor | Good | Poor | |||||||
| Sex | ||||||||||||
| Women | 26709 | 9729 | 1.00 | - | 21665 | 14773 | 1.00 | - | 35396 | 1042 | 1.00 | - |
| Men | 63905 | 23425 | 0.99 | 0.543 | 52001 | 35329 | 1.00 | 0.901 | 84824 | 2506 | 1.00 | 0.982 |
| Age group, y | ||||||||||||
| <25 | 18464 | 6012 | 1.00 | - | 14510 | 9966 | 1.00 | - | 23901 | 575 | 1.00 | - |
| 25–34 | 51021 | 18826 | 1.08 | <0.001 | 41596 | 28251 | 1.00 | 0.958 | 67794 | 2053 | 1.16 | 0.002 |
| 35–44 | 18924 | 7428 | 1.13 | <0.001 | 15682 | 10670 | 1.01 | 0.584 | 25542 | 810 | 1.16 | 0.010 |
| ≥45 | 2205 | 888 | 1.16 | <0.001 | 1878 | 1215 | 0.97 | 0.466 | 2983 | 110 | 1.31 | 0.010 |
| Education level | ||||||||||||
| Primary school and below | 529 | 536 | 1.00 | - | 556 | 509 | 1.00 | - | 938 | 127 | 1.00 | - |
| Junior high school | 22473 | 13209 | 0.59 | <0.001 | 19390 | 16292 | 0.93 | 0.232 | 34208 | 1474 | 0.33 | <0.001 |
| High school | 35065 | 13457 | 0.39 | <0.001 | 28797 | 19725 | 0.76 | <0.001 | 47343 | 1179 | 0.20 | <0.001 |
| College degree or above | 32547 | 5952 | 0.19 | <0.001 | 24923 | 13576 | 0.60 | <0.001 | 37731 | 768 | 0.17 | <0.001 |
| Married status | ||||||||||||
| Married | 28941 | 11042 | 1.00 | - | 29509 | 20474 | 1.00 | - | 49141 | 842 | 1.00 | - |
| Single | 48779 | 20838 | 1.43 | <0.001 | 41873 | 27744 | 0.94 | <0.001 | 67093 | 2524 | 2.08 | <0.001 |
| Divorced | 2055 | 733 | 1.07 | 0.151 | 1609 | 1179 | 0.99 | 0.798 | 2717 | 71 | 1.36 | 0.014 |
| Others | 839 | 541 | 1.82 | <0.001 | 675 | 705 | 1.38 | <0.001 | 1269 | 111 | 4.16 | <0.001 |
| Living area in last two weeks | ||||||||||||
| Hubei province | 8067 | 1857 | 1.00 | - | 6039 | 3885 | 1.00 | - | 9750 | 174 | 1.00 | - |
| Other provinces | 82547 | 31297 | 1.43 | <0.001 | 67627 | 46217 | 1.02 | 0.311 | 110470 | 3374 | 1.43 | <0.001 |
| Family members or relatives infected | ||||||||||||
| No | 90557 | 33079 | 1.00 | - | 73588 | 50048 | 1.00 | - | 120100 | 3536 | 1.00 | - |
| Yes | 57 | 75 | 3.82 | <0.001 | 78 | 54 | 1.01 | 0.943 | 120 | 12 | 3.23 | <0.001 |
AOR: Adjusted odds ratios; CI: confidence interval.
P for trend <0.05.
Fig 1Attention (A) and access (B) to COVID-19-related information.