The knowledge, attitude, and practice of primary health care clients towards COVID-19 in Qatar

Background: Despite the growing amount of evidence on COVID-19, there remains a paucity of data on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of people in the community towards this disease. Such data can prove to be valuable in any national or international efforts to control and prevent further spread of COVID-19. The present study investigated the KAP of the community towards COVID-19 in Qatar during 2020. Methods: The study was conducted among adult clients (≥18 years old) who attend primary healthcare (PHC) centers in Qatar during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten PHC centers were selected based on a random cluster sampling (probability) technique. The clients of these health centers were selected randomly and interviewed through telephone calls using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive and analytic statistics were used when appropriate. Results: The mean knowledge score of the participants was 12 (SD = 2.29, range: 0–18), indicating inadequate knowledge. The mean score for attitude was 18.42 (SD = 2.02, range: 7–21), indicating optimistic attitudes. The mean score for practices was 7.10 (SD = 1.58, range: 0–13), indicating poor practices. A statistically significant association was found between the knowledge of participants and their age, level of education, and employment status. In addition, the attitude was significantly associated with their level of education. Finally, better practice was associated with being non-Qatari as well as having a comorbidity. Conclusion: Overall, our study found that despite a positive attitude among the participants, the knowledge and practices for COVID-19 disease control and prevention are still poor among the public attending primary care in Qatar. Further public health awareness campaigns and interventions should be implemented in the country.