Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related To Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Residents of Riyadh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Asmaa Alyaemni

MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) originated in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and the number of cases and deaths is continuing to rise. The epidemiology of MERS-CoV has been thoroughly analyzed, but there are few reports on the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of healthcare workers towards the infection in Riyadh. The objective of this research was to assess the KAP of the general public towards MERS-CoV. This cross-sectional study involved 309 participants in Riyadh. The overall mean scores for knowledge was 3.43 (SD: 0.54), for attitude against prevention was 3.0 (SD: 0.67), and for practices was 3.7 (SD: 0.72), indicating good KP and satisfactory A. Scores only differed by nationality (P <0.001) (age, education, income and gender were non-significant). We recommend various strategies to keep the public updated about the current situation, and about advances in prevention and treatment. Further multi-regions studies with large sample size are needed to build upon the findings of current study.

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