Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Regarding Covid-19 Among The Greek General Population

INTRODUCTION: Countries worldwide have adopted unprecedented infection control and prevention measures to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The success of these measures depends on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the general population toward COVID-19.The objective of this study was to measure the KAP of adult Greek residents toward COVID-19. METHODS: A cross-sectional nationwide survey (n=1,004) was conducted during between April 28,2020 to May 03,2020 using a mixed methodology for data collection: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and Computer Assisted web Interviewing (CAWI).A proportionate stratified by region systematic sampling procedure was used to ensure a nationally representative sample of the urban/rural population. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: 35% of respondents reported correctly the five most commonly related to COVID-19 symptoms (i.e. cough, fever, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal symptoms and myalgia). Most respondents (>90%) knew that coronavirus can be transmitted by droplets from human-to-human and contaminated surfaces. Avoiding touching the face with one's hands and social distancing were identified as the most appropriate prevention and control measures against COVID-19 by over 95% of respondents. The median (IQR) of the total knowledge score was 17 (16-19).45.6% of respondents believed that the novel coronavirus was developed by humans in laboratories, and 79.4% and 69.0% believed that novel coronavirus is more contagious and more lethal than flu virus H1N1, respectively.41.1% of respondents stated that they had proceeded to social distancing before government measures were taken. CONCLUSION: Overall, the Greek general population had adequate knowledge of the symptoms, transmission routes and prevention measures of the COVID-19,although there is undoubtedly still room for improvement.