Analyzing the factors breaching preparedness and non-pharmaceutical
interventions to contain Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Bangladesh: a
knowledge, attitude and practice-based cross-sectional study
Abstract
Abstract Background: Considering the lack of definitive drug or vaccine,
the non-pharmaceutical interventions need to be implemented to control
the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, notably in
countries with limited resources like Bangladesh. So, the study targeted
the university students of Bangladesh as the representatives of the
millennials to determine their level of awareness regarding COVID-19.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to determine the
knowledge, attitude and practices with a co-produced perception section
regarding COVID-19 among university students in Bangladesh. The survey
was conducted from 16 to 23rd March, 2020. Descriptive and inferential
analyses were performed with statistical significance defined as p
< 0.05. Result: Among 1393 students participated in the study,
about one-third of them had a positive attitude towards COVID-19 issues,
although only 6.9% had good knowledge. While the majority of the
participants followed sneezing/ coughing etiquette, frequent hand
washing/sanitizing, limited body contact and public transport, etc.,
both good knowledge and positive attitude were significantly associated
with respondents’ good practices. But despite the satisfactory hand
hygiene behaviors, awareness is required about the type of sanitizers
and the importance of washing hands for 20seconds. Promoting health
educative activities through Facebook might be considered to improve the
knowledge level, especially to raise awareness about rare symptoms and
asymptomatic transmission. However, bazaars might be the potential point
of the outbreak that needs to be controlled. Conclusion: The study
supports the concerning lack of knowledge among the students along with
suggesting the issues to be addressed for successful containment of
COVID-19.