Perception, Attitude and Practice of Personal Protective Measures by Nigerians during the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Online Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: People’s compliance to control measures is dependent on their perception, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19. This survey evaluated the perception, attitude and practice of personal protective measures by Nigerians during the COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using an internet-based survey/questionnaire. A total of 731 Nigerians (male and female: age >14 years) were selected between April 15 and 26, 2020 to complete an online survey. Results: Majority (> 50 %) of the participants in all the geopolitical zones would always wash their hands with soap and/ use hand sanitizers. Many of the participants (>40%) across all the zones self-reported that they always wash their hands with soap and use hand sanitizer after a hand shake. More than 70 % of the participants had at least Bachelors degree. Majorities are civil servants and mostly obtain their COVID-19 information from WhatsApp (71.4%), Television (65.3%) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) (62.5%).