Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Covid-19 among primary school students in Kedah, Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

• Main Authors: Ganaprakasam, C., Humayra, S., Ganasegaran, K., Kuppusamy, E., Karikalan, B.
• Format: Article
• Published: Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association 2021
• Subjects: L Education (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/36153/; https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85123597003&doi=10.37268%2fMJPHM%2fVOL.21%2fNO.3%2fART.1201&partnerID=40&md5=21fad36818686eb4a9b711441a8fab18

Since, children are affected by the coronavirus in the same way as adults, examining the children's knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on COVID-19 would help in building a pandemic-resilient society. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 among primary school students. This online, cross-sectional study was conducted from May 18 to 20, 2021 among students aged 9 to 12 years old and having access to WhatsApp messenger on their smartphones. The study participants were selected from 17 primary schools in Kedah, Malaysia by convenience sampling, and the Google form invitation link was shared by the schools’ guidance and counselling teachers. Analysis revealed higher females (53) and majority aged 12 years (27.8) out of 1207. 56 of respondents possessed good knowledge on COVID-19 (M=4.21, SD=1.16) with 73.75 overall correct responses. Children demonstrated positive attitudes (M=3.64, SD=0.67) but had a higher perceived risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 (M=3.60, SD=1.23). For practices, low scores were discovered on avoid visiting crowded places (M=2.51, SD=1.22). Knowledge has a significant effect on children’s attitudes (Beta=0.17, p<0.001) and practices (Beta=0.25, p<0.001). Comparatively, females scored lower COVID-19 knowledge than males (Beta= -0.01, p=0.65). While age was significantly associated with increased knowledge (Beta=0.13, p<0.001), whereof, year 6 students (12 years; M=4.69, SD=1.23) scored the highest. Since knowledge is a critical tool in comprehending any phenomenon, and influencing one’s attitude and practice towards it, much effort is warranted to enhance the effectiveness of government strategies and mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak. © 2021, Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine. All rights reserved.