Fengyun Yu1, Pascal Geldsetzer2, Anne Meierkord3, Juntao Yang4, Qiushi Chen5, Lirui Jiao6, Nadeem E Abou-Arraj7, An Pan8, Chen Wang9, Till Bärnighausen10, Simiao Chen11. 1. Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, Beijing, CN. 2. Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA, Stanford, US. 3. Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, University of Southampton, GB. 4. State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China, Beijing, CN. 5. The Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA, University Park, US. 6. Reed College, Portland, OR, USA, Portland, US. 7. Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA, Stanford, US. 8. Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China, Wuhan, CN. 9. Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China, Beijing, CN. 10. Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, Heidelberg, DE. 11. Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, INF 130.3, Heidelberg, Germany, Heidelberg, DE.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A detailed understanding of the public's knowledge and perceptions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could inform governments' public health actions in response to the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 among adults in China, and its variation among provinces and by sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: Between 8 May 2020 and 8 June 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey among adults in China who were registered with the private survey company KuRunData. We set a target sample size of 10,000 adults, aiming to sample 300-360 adults from each province in China. Participants were asked 25 questions that tested their knowledge about COVID-19, including measures to prevent infection, common symptoms, and recommended care-seeking behavior. We disaggregated responses by age, sex, education, province, household income, rural-urban residency, and whether or not a participant had a family member, friend, or acquaintance who they know to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. All analyses used survey sampling weights. RESULTS: 5,079 men and 4,921 women completed the questionnaire and were included in the analysis. Out of 25 knowledge questions, participants answered a mean and median of 21.4 (95% CI: 21.3-21.4) and 22 (IQR: 20 - 23) questions correctly, respectively. 83.4% (95% CI: 82.7%-84.1%) of participants answered four-fifths or more of the questions correctly. For at least one of four ineffective prevention measures (using a hand dryer, regular nasal irrigation, gargling mouthwash, and taking antibiotics), 68.9% (95% CI: 68.0%-69.8%) of participants answered that it was an effective method to prevent a SARS-CoV-2 infection. While knowledge overall was similar across provinces, the percent of participants who answered the question on recommended care-seeking behavior correctly varied from 47.0% (95% CI: 41.4%-52.7%) in Tibet to 87.5% (95% CI: 84.1%-91.0%) in Beijing. Within provinces, participants who were male, middle-aged, residing in urban areas, and had higher household income tended to answer a higher proportion of the knowledge questions correctly. CONCLUSIONS: This online study of individuals across China suggests that the majority of the population has good knowledge of COVID-19. However, a significant proportion still holds misconceptions or incorrect beliefs about prevention methods and recommended healthcare-seeking behaviors, especially in rural areas and some less wealthy provinces in Western China. This study can inform the development of tailored public health policies and promotion campaigns by identifying knowledge areas for which misconceptions are comparatively common and provinces that have relatively low knowledge.
BACKGROUND: A detailed understanding of the public's knowledge and perceptions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could inform governments' public health actions in response to the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 among adults in China, and its variation among provinces and by sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: Between 8 May 2020 and 8 June 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey among adults in China who were registered with the private survey company KuRunData. We set a target sample size of 10,000 adults, aiming to sample 300-360 adults from each province in China. Participants were asked 25 questions that tested their knowledge about COVID-19, including measures to prevent infection, common symptoms, and recommended care-seeking behavior. We disaggregated responses by age, sex, education, province, household income, rural-urban residency, and whether or not a participant had a family member, friend, or acquaintance who they know to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. All analyses used survey sampling weights. RESULTS: 5,079 men and 4,921 women completed the questionnaire and were included in the analysis. Out of 25 knowledge questions, participants answered a mean and median of 21.4 (95% CI: 21.3-21.4) and 22 (IQR: 20 - 23) questions correctly, respectively. 83.4% (95% CI: 82.7%-84.1%) of participants answered four-fifths or more of the questions correctly. For at least one of four ineffective prevention measures (using a hand dryer, regular nasal irrigation, gargling mouthwash, and taking antibiotics), 68.9% (95% CI: 68.0%-69.8%) of participants answered that it was an effective method to prevent a SARS-CoV-2 infection. While knowledge overall was similar across provinces, the percent of participants who answered the question on recommended care-seeking behavior correctly varied from 47.0% (95% CI: 41.4%-52.7%) in Tibet to 87.5% (95% CI: 84.1%-91.0%) in Beijing. Within provinces, participants who were male, middle-aged, residing in urban areas, and had higher household income tended to answer a higher proportion of the knowledge questions correctly. CONCLUSIONS: This online study of individuals across China suggests that the majority of the population has good knowledge of COVID-19. However, a significant proportion still holds misconceptions or incorrect beliefs about prevention methods and recommended healthcare-seeking behaviors, especially in rural areas and some less wealthy provinces in Western China. This study can inform the development of tailored public health policies and promotion campaigns by identifying knowledge areas for which misconceptions are comparatively common and provinces that have relatively low knowledge.
Authors: Jin Wen; Yuan Zheng; Peiyi Li; Bo Chen; Genevieve Deveaux; Yunmei Luo; Wenjuan Tao; Weimin Li Journal: JMIR Public Health Surveill Date: 2022-05-31