College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
PAPER ASSIGNMENT
Course name:
Applied Biostatistics
Course number:
PHC-321
Read the attached research paper and answer following questions.
Question 1: What is the goal of this research study? (50 words) [2 marks]
Question 2: What type of study design was followed in the study? Write at
least 2 features of this study. (5 words) [3 marks]
Question 3: What type of sampling method was used in this study? Explain
why this method is used? (5 words) [3 marks]
Questions
Question 4: What is the total number of responders and how many responded to
all the questions in the survey of this study? (Write both the numbers) [2 marks]
Question 5: Write a short note on any two statistical measures used in this study.
(Write about each measure in at least 75 words) [2 x 2.5 = 5]
***Instructions
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Student Name:
Student ID:
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✳️Attempt all the questions only after reading the research paper
attached. ✳️
Provide at least two references in APA 7th Edition style.
Mention your name & ID, instructor’s name, and the date of
submission before uploading the file to BB.
50335
Submission Date:
Instructor name
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August 5, 2023
Total
Dr. Shakir Saleem
Grade
/15
Release Date: 09/07/2023
Due Date: 05/08/2023 (End of the day)
Guidelines:
Page 1 of 3
College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
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Question 1: What is the goal of this research study? (50 words) [2 marks]
Answer 1:
Question 2: What type of study design was followed in the study? Write at least 2
features of this study. (50 words) [3 marks]
Answer 2:
Type of study design:
Two features:
1.
2.
Page 2 of 3
College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
Question 3: What type of sampling method was used in this study? Explain why this
method is used? (5 words) [3 marks]
Answer 3:
Type of sampling method:
This method is used because:
1.
2.
Question 4: What is the total number of responders and how many responded to all the
questions in the survey of this study? (Write both the numbers) [2 marks]
Answer 4:
Total number of responders:
Total number of those who responded to all the questions:
Question 5: Write a short note on any two statistical measures used in this study. (Write
about each measure in at least 75 words) [2 x 2.5 = 5]
Answer 5:
1.
Page 3 of 3
1874-9445/22
Send Orders for Reprints to reprints@benthamscience.net
1
The Open Public Health Journal
Content list available at: https://openpublichealthjournal.com
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Role of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among the General Population of
Saudi Arabia in Management of Second Wave of COVID-19
Mohammed Al-Mohaithef1,*, Shaima Ali Miraj1, Tintu Thomas1, Haya Zedan1 and Shakir Saleem1
1
Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abstract:
Introduction:
The highly infectious corona virus disease, described as a pandemic by the WHO, has been the focus of intense discussion world-wide due to its
unpredictable nature and impact. The present study was undertaken to assess the health behavior of individuals as a result of their knowledge,
attitudes and practice, which are important in containing the spread of such a pandemic in the community with anticipated future outcomes.
Methods:
This study was carried out to explore the influence of KAP of the Saudi population from Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Medina, Abha, Qassim and
other cities of KSA towards the second wave of the pandemic spike, and determine the acceptance of the population of changed behavioral
measures.
Results:
About 90.2% of the respondents had strong knowledge and awareness about COVID-19 where as 80.7% showed positive attitudes, with a mean
score of 29.52 ± 2.591 and 59.4% following good practices. About 75.5% of respondents regularly washed their hands, 73.7% used sanitizers
effectively every time after touching some surface and 86.8% affirmed using masks regularly.
Conclusion:
The present data showed that irrespective of gender, age group, nationality, education level and occupation, majority of the population had
adequate knowledge and positive attitude. However, it was found that good knowledge and positive attitude may not always culminate into good
practice as evident from the study. This reflects that irrespective of the shortcomings, the Saudi government was successful in propagating right
information across all sections of the society. The findings give valuable insight to policy makers and health officials to pinpoint gaps in these
areas and bolster ongoing efforts to contain the pandemic and sustain the preventive measures implemented as part of the future strategic planning.
Keywords: Public health, COVID-19, Health behavior, Government policies, Pandemic, Second wave.
Article History
Received: December 10, 2021
1. INTRODUCTION
The coronavirus pandemic witnessed certain peculiarities
during the first and the second wave, with a massive spike in
the COVID-19 infections during the winter season of 2020 and
later in July 2021, respectively, as the contagious delta variant
became dominant eventually. Despite mass vaccinations,
behavior modifications, widespread education, and infection
prevention policies, the second wave caught the global
population by surprise, resulting in almost 6.9 million deaths
till May 2021 [1]. However, there was a huge difference in the
* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Public Health,
College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, RiyadhSaudi Arabia;
Tel: 00966-11-2613500; E-mail: m.almohaithef@seu.edu.sa
Revised: January 21, 2022
Accepted: March 4, 2022
COVID-19 scenario, which was witnessed in the Western and
other countries, including the subcontinent and the Middle
East. This can be expressed in terms of the differences in the
infection and the mortality rates of the two parts of the world,
as stated.
Literature review suggests that an assessment of
knowledge, attitude / awareness, and practices (KAP) is critical
to understanding the reasons for the success or failure of
prevention methods and support efforts to contain the spread of
COVID-19 and anticipate future outcomes [2, 3]. The Saudi
government initially implemented strict lockdown policies
during the first wave as well as developed highly effective
technological measures to monitor the situation with high
DOI: 10.2174/18749445-v15-e2206273, 2022, 15, e187494452206273
Role of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among
vigilance in line with WHO guidelines since early March 2020,
apart from the measure of aggressively vaccinating the Saudi
population at large [4 – 6]. The present study was designed to
explore the KAP of the Saudi population towards the second
wave of the COVID-19 pandemic spike as well as to determine
the acceptance of the general public of changed behavioral
measures.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1. Study Design
A web based cross-sectional study was conducted using the
snowball sampling method. The study participants were
recruited across different major regions of Saudi Arabia. The
self-reported questionnaire on monkey survey link was
distributed through social media platforms (Twitter,
WhatsApp) from 10th to 20th April 2021 across the kingdom.
The self-reported questionnaire was adapted from the study
conducted by Zhang et al. [3], as well as from the guidelines
recommended by the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention for COVID-19 [4].
Both English and Arabic versions of the questionnaire
were validated and tested for reliability as per the standard
protocol. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.70, indicating
internal reliability from the pilot study. A small preliminary
study was conducted on 15 participants to assess its feasibility.
No specific exclusion criteria were used for the study, except
those respondents below 18 years of age were exempted from
the study. A total of 1294 people responded to the survey, out
of which only 992 completed the full survey and were included
in the study. As it was not feasible to conduct a systematic
nationwide sampling procedure during this period, the
researchers opted to use an online survey using Survey
Monkey Advantage Annual. Members of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia over the age of 18 years and currently residing in
the country were eligible to participate in the survey. We
utilized several strategies to reach out to as many respondents
as possible all over the country within the one-week data
collection period. This included relying on the professional and
personal networks of the researchers, reaching out to
community leaders and social media influencers to broadcast
and share the survey. The structured questionnaire was divided
into four parts having 30 questions; the first section contained
demographic characteristics such as age, gender, occupation,
marital status, education, and employment. The second section
included 18 questions regarding knowledge of COVID-19, the
third section included 7 questions regarding attitude towards
COVID-19 and the fourth section included 12 questions to
assess practice levels towards COVID-19. Each correct answer
in relation to the knowledge of COVID-19 was given one point
and incorrect and not sure answers were scored as zero points.
Bloom’s cut off point was used to characterize the overall
knowledge, practice, and attitude scores [7]. If the score was
less than 60%, it was regarded as bad knowledge; 60%-80%
The Open Public Health Journal, 2022, Volume 15 2
and 80% and above were classified as average and good
knowledge, respectively. Similar criteria were set for both
attitude and practice.
2.2. Statistical Analysis
The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social
Services (SPSS) Version 26. Descriptive statistics and relevant
tables using frequencies and percentages were used to
summarize information. The knowledge, attitude, and practice
scores were presented using mean and standard deviation.
Descriptive statistics were used to define the sociodemographic factors as well as to represent the achieved
knowledge, attitude and practice scores. Inferential statistics,
correlation coefficient, and logistic regression methods were
used to identify the influences, associations, and determinants
of different socio-demographic factors in relation to
COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and practice. A two-tailed p
value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant,
at a 5% significance level.
2.3. Ethical Considerations
The study approval was obtained from the Institutional
Research Committee of Saudi Electronic University Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, under the Deanship of Scientific Research,
Ethical Clearance No. (REC Number SEUREC-CHS20100).
Responses to the survey instrument were collected
anonymously, and data were used for analysis and
interpretation purposes only.
3. RESULTS
A total of 992 respondents from across various regions of
the Kingdom completed the survey. Among the participants
65.8% of respondents were female against 34.2%, who were
males. On the basis of nationality, 82% of the respondents were
Saudis, in comparison to the 18% expatriates. On the basis of
marital status, 51.6% were married, as against 42.4% who were
single. Similarly, comparing the educational status, a majority
70.2. % of the respondents had a qualification of undergraduate
degrees and above in comparison to the 15% who were
diploma holders, whereas 14.4% had studied till high school or
less.
On the basis of service categorization, 43.1% of
respondents had government jobs as against 15.2% who were
employed in the private sector. Almost 37.1% of the study
samples were not working and the remainder were selfemployed. On the basis of age, a majority (94.7%) were in the
age bracket of 18-45 years, as compared to others (5.3%).
Similarly, on the basis of geographical location, the majority of
the respondents (45.86%) were from Riyadh, followed by
Dammam (18.5%). The details of the demographic data are
presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the participants (N =992).
Variables
Numbers
Percentage
18-25
264
(26.6)
26-35
436
(44.0)
Age
3 The Open Public Health Journal, 2022, Volume 15
Al-Mohaithef et al.
(Table 1) contd…..
Variables
Numbers
Percentage
36-45
239
(24.1)
46-55
46
(4.6)
56-65
4
(0.4)
65+
3
(0.3)
Male
339
(34.2)
Female
653
(65.8)
Saudi
814
(82)
Non-Saudi
178
(18)
(51.6)
Gender
Nationality
Marital status
Married
512
Divorced
52
5.2)
Widowed
7
(0.7)
Single
421
(42.4)
High School or Less
143
(14.4)
Diploma
153
(15.4)
Undergraduate
497
(50.1)
Postgraduate
199
(20.1)
Education
Occupation
Private
151
(15.2)
Government
428
(43.1)
Self employed
19
(1.9)
Not working
368
(37.1)
Others
26(2.6)
City of Residence
Riyadh
455
(45.9)
Dammam
184
(18.5)
Jeddah
119
(12)
Abha
23
(2.3)
Madina
31
(3.1)
Al-Ahsa
32
(3.2)
Qassim
11
(1.1)
Jazan
6
(0.6)
Tabuk
3
(0.3)
Others
128
(12.9)
3.1. Knowledge Regarding COVID-19
A majority (90.2%) responded correctly to knowledge
related questions, assessed with respect to asking pertinent
questions related to the spread of infection, risk groups,
preventive measures, as well as awareness regarding contacting
the agency (Table 2). On comparing the knowledge scores
across various demographic factors, including gender, age,
nationality, marital status, education, occupation and healthcare
experience, it was observed that statistically significant
differences existed between groups for gender, age, occupation,
and healthcare experience (p0.05). Among
the study respondents, the 36-45 years age group showed a
more positive attitude 83.3%, followed by the 26-35 years age
group (81.2%), 18-25 years (79.5%), 46-55 years (73.9%),
respectively, however, the observed difference was not
statistically significant at a 5% significance level (p>0.05).
Table 3. Demographic Variables with Good Knowledge and Positive Attitude Scores (N=992).
Demographic Variables
Good Knowledge Score
Characteristics
Respondents n (%) Total
n (%)
Overall
992
896(90.2)
Positive Attitude Score
P value n (%)
P value
801(80.7)
Gender
Male
339(34.2)
320(94.4) 0.001* 277(81.7)
Female
653(65.8)
576(88.3)
524(80.2)
18-25
264(26.6)
222(84.1)
210(79.5)
26-35
436(44.0)
402(92.2) 0.001* 354(81.2)
36-45
239(24.1)
224(93.7)
199(83.3)
46-55
46(4.6)
42(91.3)
34(73.9)
56-65
4(0.4)
4(100)
3(75)
65+
3(0.3)
2(66.7)
1(33.3)
0.579
Age Group
0.125
Nationality
Saudi
814(82)
733(90)
661(81.2)
Non-Saudi
178(18)
163(91.6) 0.533
140(78.7)
Married
512(51.6)
472(92.2)
415(81.1)
Divorced
52(5.2)
44(84.6)
43(82.7)
0.434
Marital Status
Widowed
7(0.7)
5(71.4)
Single
421(42.4)
375(81.1)
0.055
5(71.4)
338(80.3)
0.895
5 The Open Public Health Journal, 2022, Volume 15
Al-Mohaithef et al.
(Table 3) contd…..
Demographic Variables
Good Knowledge Score
Positive Attitude Score
Education
High school or less
143(14.4)
128(89.5)
113(79)
Diploma
153(15.4)
139(90.8)
120(78.4)
Undergraduate
497(50.1)
445(89.5) 0.671
408(82.1)
Postgraduate
199(20.1)
184(92.5)
160(80.4)
Private
151(15.2)
137(90.7)
118(78.1)
Government
428(43.1)
398(93) 0.013* 350(81.8)
0.707
Occupation
Self-employed
19(1.9)
17(89.5)
16(84.2)
Not working
368(37.1)
318(86.4)
297(80.7)
Others
26(2.6)
26(100)
20(76.9)
Yes
279(28.1)
267(95.7) 0.000* 221(79.2)
No
713(71.8)
629(88.2)
0.855
Working in Heath Care Sector
580(81.3)
0.443
Known to Diagnosed Patients family or friends
Yes
66(6.6)
62(93.9) 0.148
46(69.7)
No
870(87.6)
780(89.7)
709(81.5)
Do not know
56(5.6)
54(96.4)
46(82.1)
0.062
*P
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