Egypt COVID-19: Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the general population, a cross-sectional study

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Egypt has adopted exceptional preventive measures to control COVID-19. People's knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the health problem influences their compliance with preventive strategies.
OBJECTIVE: The research assesses the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 among the general population in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed between May 28, and June 11, 2020. The respondents were invited to fulfill and submit an online survey portal created by Google Forms. The knowledge questionnaire included 13 items relating to symptoms, transmission, and preventive measures of the disease. The participants’ attitudes and practices included questions about trust in winning the fight against COVID-19 and the appropriate hand washing measures.
RESULTS: The mean knowledge score was 11.16, and the correct response rate for the knowledge questionnaire was 85.8%. More than half of the participants were confident that Egypt will win the fight. Most of them practice appropriate hand washing measures. The average knowledge score was significantly lower among older, low education, rural, non-workers, and low socioeconomic groups. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the COVID-19 knowledge score (OR: 0.72-1.16, P<0.001) was significantly linked to a reduced probability of non-optimistic attitudes and unhealthy practices regarding COVID-19.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the participants had a high level of knowledge, sound practices, and were not optimistic concerning COVID-19. More effort is needed to focus the health education strategies on the low-knowledge groups reported in the study.
Keywords Hand washing, Mask, Pandemic, Prevention