TITLE:
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of COVID-19: A Case Study of Navakholo Sub-County, Kakamega, Kenya
AUTHORS:
Maximilla Wanzala, Elizabeth Omukunda, Stella Wanjala, Micky Olutende Oloo
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Kenya, Kakamega, Sub-Sahara Africa, Pandemic, Misconceptions, Outbreak, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.11 No.2,
February
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: A viral illness called COVID-19 can be spread from one person to another. 2019 saw the first case of the virus reported in Wuhan, China, while 2020 saw Kenya record the first COVID-19 infection in Sub-Saharan Africa. To stop the virus from spreading, it is crucial to have the proper information, attitudes, and behaviors. There has been increased research on the impact COVID-19 had on the normal lives of people, however, studies of this effect on rural communities are scarce. Hence, the study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice, among residents of Navakholo sub-county, Kakamega, Kenya towards COVID-19. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study and Quantitative methods were adopted. The study was carried out in Kakamega County in Kenya. The respondents were community-dwelling household members 18 years and above (n = 278). Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics, chi-square test of independence, and independent t-test which was used to check differences in knowledge and attitude between groups. Findings were considered significant at p F = 13.19, p 0.05). In conclusion, the overall computation revealed that generally majority of the respondents had high knowledge of COVID-19. The majority of the respondents showed positive attitudes and had good practices. The study recommends that the government should collaborate with telecom operators to disseminate COVID-19 messages promptly to their subscribers. Social media companies should enhance their fact-checking operations while search engines should limit information about COVID-19 from unverified websites.