Knowledge, attitude, and practices of persons with disabilities towards COVID-19: Evidence from the Islamic Republic of Iran

Aims Understanding the knowledge, attitude, and practices of persons with disabilities about COVID-19 are essential for taking targeted prevention and control measures. This study aimed to explore the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices related to COVID-19 in persons with disabilities and identify obstacles and facilitators of promoting their knowledge, attitude, and practices. Instrument & Methods A mixed qualitative-quantitative study was conducted on 1067 Persons with disabilities in Iran in 2020. The researchers collected descriptive data using an online researcher-made questionnaire that included demographic and knowledge, attitude, and practices sections which its participants were selected randomly from all Persons with disabilities in Iran. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 and using the Kruskal–Wallis and one-way ANOVA tests. To identify facilitators and barriers to improving knowledge, attitude, and practices, semi-structured interviews were done with 31 participants who were selected using purposeful sampling. Data were analyzed by content analysis approach. Findings The mean±SD scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice of persons with disabilities were 17.7±0.5, 16.6±0.7, 16.9±0.9, respectively, which were good. One-hundred sixty-one codes were identified, which were categorized into three themes and nine sub-themes. The main facilitators of KAP improvement among study participants were educational content developed during the pandemic and their dissemination using social media, community participation, and the empowerment of PWDs. Weak governance was mentioned as an essential barrier for knowledge, attitude, and practices improvement. Conclusion Further interventions are needed to increase the knowledge and improving attitudes and practice of Persons with disabilities during the crisis. Among them, the following are in priority: strengthening the governance arrangement of rehabilitation;increasing community participation;providing support packages and their fair distribution;empowering Persons with disabilities;preparing infrastructures for telerehabilitation;public awareness and, if needed, informing health workers about the specific needs of persons with disabilities and how to treat them respectfully. Copyright © 2021, the Authors.