Knowledge, attitude, and practices toward COVID-19 among the international travelers in Thailand

Profiles of travelers to intermediate-high health risk areas following the reopening of borders in the COVID-19 crisis: A clustering approach

BACKGROUND

The reactivation of international travel in 2021 has created a new scenario in which the profile of the traveler to medium-high health risk areas may well have changed. However, few studies have analyzed this new profile since the reopening of borders in that year.

METHODS

We designed an ad hoc questionnaire that was administered face-to-face by our medical team during appointments with 330 travelers in the second half of 2021. Information was collected on the following topics: sociodemographic and socioeconomic status; type of travel and previous travel experience; health status and risk perception (of COVID-19 and tropical infectious diseases). Using all features simultaneously, an unsupervised machine learning approach (k-means) is implemented to characterize groups of travelers. Pairwise chi-squared tests were performed to identify key features that showed statistically significant differences between clusters.

RESULTS

The travelers were clustered into seven groups. We associated the clusters with different intensities of perceived risk of acquiring COVID-19 and tropical infectious diseases on the trip. The perceived risk of both diseases was low in the group "middle or lower middle class young inexperienced male tourist" but high in the group "middle or lower middle-class young with children inexperienced business traveler".

CONCLUSIONS

Broadening our knowledge of the profiles of travelers to intermediate-high health risk areas would help to tailor the health advice provided by practitioners to their characteristics and type of travel. In a changing health context, the k-means approach supposes a flexible statistical method that calculates travelers' profiles and can be easily adapted to process new information.

Evaluation of the Effect of Educational Interventions on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Against COVID-19 in a Residential Complex in Tehran: A Prospective Cross-sectional Study

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at the end of 2019 posed a global health concern. It has been found that health education is one of the best methods for health promotion, changing inappropriate personal behaviors, and increasing people's awareness and attitude through major health concerns, including the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the effect of educational interventions with environmental health approach on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of people in the COVID-19 epidemic era in one residential complex in Tehran.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehran in 2021. The study population was households of a residential complex in Tehran, which was selected by a random sampling method. A researcher-made checklist was used to gather data for this study, and its validity and reliability in the domains of environmental health and knowledge, attitude, and practice in the COVID-19 setting were evaluated before it was used. An intervention was made through social media and the checklist was reevaluated after the intervention.

Results

A total number of 306 participants were enrolled in this study. In the assessment of the knowledge, attitude, and practice after the intervention, the mean score of the mentioned values increased significantly (P < 0.001). However, the influence of intervention was more prominent in the improvement of knowledge and attitude than practice.

Conclusion

Public health intervention with an environmental health approach can increase people's knowledge, attitude, and practice against chronic diseases and epidemics such as COVID-19.

COVID-19-Related Awareness and Behaviors of Non-Saudi Travelers and Their Satisfaction with Preventive Measures at Saudi Airports

Airports could serve as hotspots for the spread of the COVID-19 infection. We aimed to assess the awareness, attitude, and behaviors of non-Saudi travelers about COVID-19 and their satisfaction with preventive measures at Saudi airports. A cross-sectional study was conducted among non-Saudi travelers arriving in Saudi Arabia at two international airports. Data were collected using a questionnaire in Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu languages. Awareness, attitude, behavior scores, and satisfaction levels were calculated. Linear regression analyses were done to assess the predictors of awareness, attitude, and behaviors. A total of 633 participants were included in the study. The mean awareness, attitude, and behavior scores were 16.3/22, 18.3/24, and 3.2/5, respectively. Nationality, education, and income were significant predictors of awareness. Nationality was the only significant predictor of attitude, while gender and nationality were predictors of behaviors. Overall satisfaction with preventive measures was: transportation (94%), lounges and corridors (96%), counters (98%), and airport staff (97%). There was overall good awareness and attitude among travelers. Behavior scores were relatively low, which needs to change as air travel poses a threat to the spread of infectious diseases. Airport authorities need to manage passengers properly to ensure adequate distancing to prevent the potential transmission of infections.

Impacts of the Pandemic, Animal Source Food Retailers' and Consumers' Knowledge and Attitudes toward COVID-19, and Their Food Safety Practices in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the food supply chain, retailers, and consumers owing to infection awareness. This study evaluated the impacts COVID-19 on ASF retailers' businesses and consumers' livelihoods, as well as their knowledge toward the disease, attitudes, and food safety practices to prevent infections. The study includes a cross-sectional component that was conducted in urban/peri-urban (U/PU) and rural areas in Chiang Mai province. In another part of the study, a structured questionnaire was developed for animal source food (ASF) retailers and consumers, with three primary parts for data analysis: general information, COVID-19 impacts, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) assessment. Data corresponding to three periods of interest (before the COVID-19 outbreak, during partial lockdown, and present) were gathered and analyzed. In this study, 155 retailers and 150 consumers participated, of which the majority of the respondents were female (70.3% and 82.7%, respectively) with average ages of 47.4 and 44.9 years, respectively. The most noticeable effect of COVID-19 was a decline in income for retailers and consumers. The KAP scores of consumers in both areas were not significantly different, whereas the retailer attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and food safety practices scored more highly in rural areas than in U/PU. During the partial lockdown, food safety practices significantly improved relative to the time preceding the outbreak, and these practices have remained constant to the present day. The results revealed that gender, age group, business type, and type of ASF retailers were associated with the KAP of the retailers, whereas gender, age group, education, number of family members, and occupation were associated with the KAP of the consumers. Our findings provide in-depth information about the effects of COVID-19 on ASF retailers and consumers, as well as their KAP regarding the outbreak and food safety, which may serve as support in developing policies for improved health and food safety.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding “New Normal” Guidelines and Quality of Life Among Thai People During the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey

In Thailand, strict prevention and control strategies have been implemented to mitigate the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “New normal” guidelines and a series of mobile health applications have been introduced by the healthcare sector and implemented to aid the disease control monitoring and prevention of widespread outbreaks. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding “new normal” guidelines and quality of life (QOL) among Thai people during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to determine the association between KA, QOL, and practices. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from 7 June to 12 September 2021 among Thai people in Public Health Region 6 aged ≥ 18 years old. Of the 506 survey participants, 80.3% were female, and 65.0% were 25–59 years old. The survey revealed that 52.2% of participants were classified as having more accurate knowledge, 58.9% were classified as having more positive attitudes, and 80.8% were classified as having more frequent practices regarding “new normal” guidelines, and 54.7% had high QOL. Of the participants, 93.7% agreed that “people who have been fully vaccinated should wear a mask while outside,” and 95.5% wore a face mask outdoors in crowded places. However, 60.9% of participants misunderstood some details regarding online applications for contact tracing and vaccination services, 44.2% felt that these applications were difficult to use, and 33.4% rarely or never downloaded or used these applications. In logistic regression analyses, accurate knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with higher education, being a government employee, monthly family income &gt; 30,000 Thai Baht, and regular use of social media. More positive attitudes regarding “new normal” guidelines and high QOL were associated with positive practices. High QOL was associated with older age, and higher education. Enhancement of attitudes and QOL is also important for improving practices in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant factors identified in KAP will be crucial for developing effective prevention and control programs to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. To implement mobile health applications effectively, more work is required to improve the ease of use and promotion strategies.