Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Clients towards COVID-19 at Primary Healthcare Facilities in Rivers State, Nigeria

Introduction: In spite of all the measures introduced to fight the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria by relevant authorities, it is still ravaging the country. This calls for the commitment and responsibility of the citizens in their adherence to all the control measures and guidelines, whose effectiveness is dependent on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). This study investigated the KAP of clients who attended primary healthcare facilities (PHFs) in Rivers State, Nigeria over the period 16th to 20th June 2020.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving the clients seeking care at the public primary healthcare facilities in the 23 local government areas (LGAs) of Rivers State, Nigeria as respondents. Using descriptive analysis, the results for each of the quantitative variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation, whilst those for the categorical variables were reported as frequency and percentage. The association between the responses on KAP and demographic characteristics were tested using the Chi-square test. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with KAP and statistical significance was assessed at P<0.05.

Results: Out of 460 questionnaires distributed, 434 respondents participated in the survey, revealing a 94.3% response rate. The proportion of respondents with moderate and above scores in knowledge, attitude, and COVID-19 related practices are 86.6% (62.9+23.7), 80.6% (57.6+23.0), and 58.0% (30.8+27.2) respectively. Occupation, educational level, and senatorial districts are associated with knowledge and attitude, whilst age and senatorial districts are associated with the level of adherence to preventive practices; knowledge level also has associations with both attitude and practices towards COVID-19.

Conclusion: On the basis of these findings, we suggest public health education programs on COVID-19 should target individuals with low knowledge levels, lower educational attainment, and those residing in the Rivers South-East senatorial zone in the promotion of their messages on COVID-19.