TY - JOUR AU - Albanghali, Mohammad AU - Sindi, Abdulmajeed AU - Kofiah, Yasser AU - Iqbal, Mohammad AU - Tabassum, Aisha AU - Almasmoum, Hussain AU - Alharbi, Raed AU - Koufeya, Doaa AU - Shanwaz, Mohammad PY - 2022/03/01 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTIONS, AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES TOWARDS COVID-19 DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF THE OUTBREAK AMONG SAUDI PEOPLE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY JF - Global Journal of Public Health Medicine JA - Glob. j. public health med. VL - 4 IS - 1 SE - Original Articles DO - 10.37557/gjphm.v4i1.129 UR - https://www.gjphm.org/index.php/gjphm/article/view/129 SP - 523-536 AB - <p><em>Introduction: Knowledge of and adherence to preventive measures concerning the transmission of </em><em>coronavirus disease (2019) (COVID-19) remain the frontline strategies to control its spread. This </em><em>cross-sectional study aims to determine the knowledge, perceptions, and preventive practices towards </em><em>COVID-19 among the general Saudi population. Methods: A 40-item self-administered online </em><em>questionnaire concerning knowledge and preventive practices towards COVID-19 was developed and </em><em>validated. The questionnaire was highly reliable (standardized Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89). Results: A </em><em>total of 2024 participants were included (60% men; age range: 18 to 73 years). Estimated median </em><em>knowledge and preventive practices score were 63 (IQR = 59–67) and 63 (IQR = 54–68) respectively. </em><em>The results reflected high levels of knowledge and preventive practices among the participants. The </em><em>knowledge score and preventive practices score were significantly differed by educational level, work </em><em>status, region, and purpose of leaving one’s house. Correlation analyses demonstrated a significant </em><em>weak correlation between knowledge and preventive practices (r=0.056, p=0.012). Conclusion: This </em><em>study indicates that majority of Saudi people having above average level of knowledge and preventive </em><em>practices towards the COVID-19. Health education programs must be designed to target less </em><em>educated residents and expatriates. The findings provide a baseline for the knowledge, perceptions, </em><em>and preventive practices towards the COVID-19 pandemic among Saudi Arabian residents at the early </em><em>stages of the outbreak.</em></p> ER -