LAUSR

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a serious public health concern around the world, with countries taking significant preventive and control measures to halt the spread of this deadly virus. The knowledge, attitude & practices (KAP) of the general population play a major role in the containment measures adopted by the country. The current study was conducted to assess the KAP of the population of Mumbai towards COVID-19 pandemic. The study was a web-based, cross sectional survey. A Snowball sampling technique was used. The digital forms were made available in local languages. A 25-item survey instrument was developed according to the guidelines issued by the Government to test the KAP of the population about COVID-19. Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal consistency of the questionnaire. Chi-square test or Fischer exact test was used to compare categorical data and multiple linear regression was used to identify factors influencing KAP. A total of 1360 responses were included in the study. The overall knowledge, attitude and practice score was 83.7%, 77.33% and 63.8% respectively. About 14.85% did not know about the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19. The assessment of COVID-19 related KAP among the public could be instrumental in providing better insights to the policy makers to deliver tailored health intervention programmes. The findings of this study can serve as a guide to future efforts aimed at public readiness to adhere to control measures to address such emergency crises.