Knowledge Levels and Disease Preventive Behaviors of Individuals Aged 18-74 Living in Antalya About COVID-19: A Population-Based Sample

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine knowledge and preventive behaviours of individuals aged 18-74 living in Antalya regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in March 2021 with 1000 people aged 18-74 living in Antalya. The data were collected with the “Questionnaire on COVID-19 Disease” prepared by the researchers. In the study, ethical approval, institutional permission, and informed consent from participants were obtained for the study. Results: The participants’ mean scores for COVID-19 general knowledge (11.85±2.29), and for their knowledge of preventive practices (25.00±3.42) and behaviours (84.85±10.33) against COVID-19 were found to be at a good level. It was determined that the knowledge and behavior mean scores of the participants were affected by variables such as age, education status, working status, income level, perceived general physical health level, district of residence, COVID-19 status, drug use, smoking consumption and marital status (p