Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards the spread of COVID-19: a health counseling initiative among potential entrepreneurs of FUUAST

Purpose: The present study examines the knowledge, attitude and practice towards the reduction of COVID-19 spread among entrepreneurs of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology (FUUAST), Karachi Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employed cross-sectional data to infer the results. The data are collected through an online survey questionnaire. To target the respondents;a convenience sampling technique is adopted. In total, 222 usable answers proceed with final results. The structural equation model (SEM) is applied for the data analysis. Findings: The study outcomes found a significant and positive role of knowledge about COVID-19, attitudes towards a stay at home and practices against COVID-19 in reducing the spread of the pandemic. Practical implications: The study provides coherent knowledge about the factors that fight against the pandemic's further spread. The findings would provide the guidelines to policymakers to think about such factors and boost them enormously. Further, the results would contribute to the literature of COVID-19. Originality/value: This study is original, which empirically confirmed the effect of knowledge about COVID-19, attitudes towards a stay at home and practices against COVID-19 in an academic institute. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.