Knowledge, attitude, and practices of patient relatives regarding face masks in COVID-19 pandemic: A single-center cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was declared as a global pandemic on the March 12, 2020. Face masks are recommended to control COVID-19 transmission, whose filtering capability depends on the different materials mask is made of and its structural design. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward facemasks play an integral role to understand society's readiness to accept and follow preventive guidelines. The main objective was to estimate various factors affecting KAP in the study population and also to calculate the knowledge score (KS) from the data. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 5, 3, and 5 questions on KAP, respectively. Score of 1 was assigned to the correct response and score of 0 for the incorrect response. Accordingly, score of <3 depicted that individual had poor knowledge, while ≥3 indicated good knowledge. Data were analyzed using appropriate descriptive statistical tests. An independent t-test was used to determine differences in groups concerning mask usage. Results: Out of total 110 participants, majority were males (53.6%). Majority (78.2%) had a good KS and the mean KS was 3.41. The KS was higher in the 18–40 years age group (P = 0.026), males (P = 0.030), literate people (P = 0.011), and in the urban population (P = 0.021). Majority (97.3%) knew that it is necessary to wear face mask during this pandemic. Participants with higher KS covered both their nose and mouth with face mask and also, they removed their mask completely while eating. Conclusions: Most of the patient's relatives had satisfactory knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practices toward the use of face masks to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the community.