Development of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) Towards COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices toward COVID-19
Vol. 15 No. 2 : 2020 (262-275)

Puwaneswarry M Puwaneswarry M
Nathratul Ayeshah Z Nathratul Ayeshah Z
Gaaitheri K Gaaitheri K
Lim KQ Lim KQ
Wong YH Wong YH
Tang SL Tang SL
Ng CG Ng CG

Abstract
During this COVID-19 pandemic, massive unverified information has flooded the social media platforms, causing heightened levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms among public. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the COVID-19 related knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) and its psychological impact, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms in Malaysia population. A cross- sectional online survey was conducted from 8th to 22nd April 2020, involving 227 respondents. The set of questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, the KAP questionnaire – 11 items on knowledge (K1-K11), 3 items on attitude (A1-A3), 4 items on practice (P1-P4), together with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) Scale. To evaluate the data, descriptive analysis, Chi-square test and item response theory analysis were implemented. The percentage of respondents who answered the true statements items from Knowledge component (K1-K3) correctly was almost 100%. However, that of items testing on COVID-19 myths (K4-K11) ranged from 38.8% to 95.2%. The only item from Attitude component which had less than 95% being answered correctly was A1 (78.9%), regarding face masks usage. From the Practice component, over 80% of respondents identified that they used social media to obtain updates on COVID-19 all the time. This is alarming as most of the information circulating on social media have not been verified by relevant authorities, which might lead to, and continuously reinforce anxiety-inducing myths. This study showed that lower overall KAP scores, particularly for Knowledge component items, are related to higher anxiety levels and more depressive symptoms.
Keywords : Attitude, COVID-19, knowledge, Malaysia, practice,
Abstrak
Dalam situasi wabak COVID-19 ketika ini, maklumat yang tidak disahkan telah membanjiri platform media sosial, lalu meningkatkan tahap kegelisahan dan gejala kemurungan di kalangan orang ramai. Penyelidikan ini bertujuan untuk menilai hubungan antara pengetahuan, sikap, dan amalan (KAP) yang berkaitan dengan COVID-19 dan kesan psikologinya, seperti kegelisahan dan gejala kemurungan pada rakyat Malaysia. Tinjauan dalam talian telah dilaksanakan dari 8-22 April 2020, yang melibatkan 227 responden. Set soal selidik tersebut merangkumi ciri-ciri sosiodemografi, soal selidik KAP - 11 soalan mengenai pengetahuan (K1-K11), 3 soalan mengenai sikap (A1-A3), 4 soalan mengenai amalan (P1-P4), bersama dengan Soal Selidik ‘Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)’ dan ‘Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) Scale’. Untuk mentafsir hasil penyelidikan, analisis deskriptif, ujian chi-square dan analisis teori respons barang telah dilaksanakan. Peratusan responden yang menjawab soalan penyataan benar dari komponen Pengetahuan (K1-K3) dengan betul adalah hampir 100%. Walau bagaimanapun, item yang menguji maklumat palsu COVID-19 (K4-K11) berkisar dari 38.8% hingga 95.2%. Satu-satunya item dari komponen Sikap yang kurang dari 95% dijawab dengan betul adalah A1 (78.9%), mengenai penggunaan topeng muka. Dari komponen Latihan, lebih daripada 80% responden mengenal pasti bahawa mereka menggunakan media sosial untuk mendapatkan kemas kini mengenai COVID-19 sepanjang masa. Ini merupakan sesuatu yang membimbangkan kerana kebanyakan maklumat yang beredar di media sosial belum disahkan oleh pihak berwajib, yang mungkin menyebabkan, dan terus-menerus memperkuat maklumat palsu yang menimbulkan kegelisahan. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa skor KAP keseluruhan yang lebih rendah, terutamanya untuk item komponen Pengetahuan, berkaitan langsung dengan tahap kegelisahan dan kemurungan yang lebih tinggi.
Kata Kunci : Amalan, COVID-19, Malaysia, pengetahuan, sikap,

Correspondance Address
Ng Chong Guan. Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +603-79492068 Email: chong_guan@um.edu.my