Development and Validation of a Questionnaire for a Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey on COVID-19 among the General Public

Abstract Background: It is essential to understand an individual’s knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward COVID-19 as public adherence to health guidelines relies heavily on these aspects and helps curb its spread. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire using a scientific step-wise process to assess the KAPs on COVID-19 among the general public from South India. Materials and Methods: A step-wise questionnaire development process comprising conceptual framework, development of an item pool, refinement of the item pool, focused group discussion, translation of the questionnaire in local languages, cognitive interviewing, pretesting, validity, and reliability was executed. The item pool was developed from existing literature and refinement was performed by focused group discussion, cognitive interviewing, and pretesting to arrive at a 36-item pool questionnaire. The kappa value was calculated for testing reliability of the developed questionnaire. Results: A questionnaire comprising four distinct domains was developed after following the step-wise process. The item pool was refined from 36 to 28 items which were grouped under four domains-myth busters, medical/dental related, complications of COVID-19, and vaccines evaluating the knowledge, awareness, and practices. The questionnaire was translated into regional languages (Tamil and Hindi) apart from English. Reliability was assessed by kappa statistics and was found to be > 95%. Conclusion: A questionnaire was successfully developed using a scientific stakeholder-driven process. This can be applied to the public at large to identify pitfalls in awareness and to educate them in a COVID-19 scenario.