Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among multiethnic elderly Asian residents in Singapore: a mixed-methods study.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Aravindhan, Amudha Gan, Alfred Tau Liang Lee, Ester Pei Xuan Gupta, Preeti Man, Ryan Ho, Kam Chun Sung, Sharon Cohan Cheng, Ching-Yu Ling, Moi Lin Tan, Hiang Khoon Wong, Tien Yin Fenwick, Eva Katie Lamoureux, Ecosse Luc
Copyright Year	2023
Abstract	Introduction:We investigated the knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its related preventive measures in Singaporeans aged ≥60 years.Methods:This was a population-based, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study (13 May 2020–9 June 2020) of participants aged ≥ 60 years. Self-reported KAP about ten symptoms and six government-endorsed preventive measures related to COVID-19 were evaluated. Multivariable regression models were used to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with KAP in our sample. Associations between knowledge/attitude scores and practice categories were determined using logistic regression. Seventy-eight participants were interviewed qualitatively about the practice of additional preventive measures and data were analysed thematically.Results:Mean awareness score of COVID-19 symptoms was 7.2/10. The most known symptom was fever (93.0%) and the least known was diarrhoea (33.5%). Most participants knew all six preventive measures (90.4%), perceived them as effective (78.7%) and practised ‘wear a mask’ (97.2%). Indians, Malays and participants living in smaller housing had poorer mean scores for knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms. Older participants had poorer attitudes towards preventive measures. Compared to Chinese, Indians had lower odds of practising three out of six recommendations. A one-point increase in score for knowledge and attitudes regarding preventive measures resulted in higher odds of always practising three of six and two of six measures, respectively. Qualitative interviews revealed use of other preventive measures, for example, maintaining a healthy lifestyle.Conclusions:Elderly Singaporeans displayed high levels of KAP about COVID-19 and its related preventive measures, with a positive association between levels of knowledge/attitude and practice. However, important ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were evident, indicating that key vulnerabilities remain, which require immediate attention.
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ISSN	00375675
Volume Number	64
DOI	10.11622/smedj.2021152
PubMed Central reference number	PMC10754368
Issue Number	11
PubMed reference number	34628802
Journal	Singapore Medical Journal [Singapore Med J]
e-ISSN	27375935
Language	English
Publisher	Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
Publisher Date	2023-11-01
Publisher Place	India
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. Copyright: © 2023 Singapore Medical Journal
Subject Keyword	Attitude COVID-19 elderly knowledge practice
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Medicine