CLEO COVID-19 KAP Community Study – Press Release

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique, unprecedented challenges for national healthcare systems. The faltering global response – characterized by a lack of preparedness among health care institutions, workers and the wider community – has underscored the importance of investing in public health research. However, it has also provided a unique opportunity for countries to diagnose and treat gaps within their own capacity for disease prevention.

Like other countries, Greece has turned to urgent measures such as social distancing, quarantining, travel restrictions and border closures to rapidly halt transmission, reduce the risk of illness and protect healthcare systems from overfilling. Public misconceptions about transmissible diseases play a large part in adherence to these measures, and in the case of COVID, may have prevented the most effective response to the pandemic.

With this knowledge in mind, the proposed study aimed to explore knowledge and perceptions held across the Greek community about COVID-19, and whether these attitudes might be tied to changes in behaviors regarding other prevention practices (e.g. vaccination). The results of the study could be used to guide qualitative studies such as selected focus groups within the community, to more deeply examine the underlying motives for behavior change in relation to the uptake of preventative health practices. Ultimately, the goal of this exploration is to improve both individual and collective preparedness for future epidemic waves.

The study

This telephone survey study is one of the first studies examining the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 in the Greek general population, as well as the first to identify core areas of concern for optimal community intervention. Participants in the study were surveyed by telephone on their KAP related to COVID-19. Participants ranged from 18 to 90 years old, and a third of respondents reported that they belonged to a vulnerable group.

Knowledge

Participants were asked to respond to COVID-19 knowledge items as either yes or no. Higher scores indicated better knowledge of COVID-19. The majority of participants named that they use media as their primary source of information about the pandemic, which suggests media as a channel to influence KAP and spark behavior change. According to analysis, women and those above 24 were more likely to know the 5 most common COVID-19 related symptoms. Handwashing and safe distancing were the most popular prevention methods among those surveyed (Fig. 1).