IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i9p4699-d545334.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Knowledge and Practices during the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Middle East: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author

Listed:
  • Abdallah Y. Naser

    (Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan)

  • Eman Zmaily Dahmash

    (Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan)

  • Zahra Khalil Alsairafi

    (Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kuwait University, Kuwait City 12037, Kuwait)

  • Hassan Alwafi

    (Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Umm al-Qura University, Mecca 21514, Saudi Arabia)

  • Hamad Alyami

    (Department of Pharmaceutics, Najran University, Najran 1988, Saudi Arabia)

  • Zahraa Jalal

    (School of Pharmacy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Ahmed M. Al Rajeh

    (Department of Respiratory Care, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf 31982, Saudi Arabia)

  • Vibhu Paudyal

    (School of Pharmacy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Yosra J. Alhartani

    (Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan)

  • Fawaz Mohammad Turkistani

    (Alnoor Hospital, Mecca 21514, Saudi Arabia)

  • Fadi Fouad Hassanin

    (Ophthalmology Department, College of Medicine, Jeddah University, Jeddah 2749, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of the general public in the Middle Eastern countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted between the 19th of March and the 6th of April 2020 in three Middle Eastern countries (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait) to explore the knowledge and practices of the Middle Eastern population regarding COVID-19. A previously developed questionnaire was adapted and used for this study. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify predictors of COVID-19 knowledge. Results: A total of 1208 participants (members of the public) participated from the three countries (Jordan = 389, Saudi Arabia = 433, and Kuwait = 386). The majority of participants ( n = 810, 67.2%) were females aged 30 to 49 years ( n = 501, 41.5%). Participants had moderate overall COVID-19 knowledge, with a mean (SD) score of 7.93 (±1.72) out of 12 (66.1%). Participants had better knowledge about disease prevention and control (83.0%), whereas the lowest sub-scale scores were for questions about disease transmission routes (43.3%). High education level was an important predictor of greater COVID-19 knowledge scores ( p < 0.01). Conclusions: Further public education is needed to address the relatively low level of education regarding the transmission of COVID-19 in the Middle Eastern countries. Policymakers are recommended to develop informative COVID-19 related campaigns that specifically target young people (university students), unemployed individuals, and those with lower levels of education.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdallah Y. Naser & Eman Zmaily Dahmash & Zahra Khalil Alsairafi & Hassan Alwafi & Hamad Alyami & Zahraa Jalal & Ahmed M. Al Rajeh & Vibhu Paudyal & Yosra J. Alhartani & Fawaz Mohammad Turkistani & Fa, 2021. "Knowledge and Practices during the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Middle East: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:9:p:4699-:d:545334
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/9/4699/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/9/4699/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zahra Alsairafi & Abdallah Y. Naser & Fatemah M. Alsaleh & Abdelmoneim Awad & Zahraa Jalal, 2021. "Mental Health Status of Healthcare Professionals and Students of Health Sciences Faculties in Kuwait during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-15, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sarah AlKandari & Ahmad Salman & Fatima Al-Ghadban & Rasheed Ahmad, 2022. "A Cross-Sectional Study to Examine the Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers in Kuwait," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-10, August.
    2. Monika Talarowska & Kinga Rucka & Mateusz Kowalczyk & Jan Chodkiewicz & Edward Kowalczyk & Michał Seweryn Karbownik & Monika Sienkiewicz, 2023. "Mental Health of Students at Polish Universities after Two Years of the Outbreak of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-12, January.
    3. Sawsan M. A. Abuhamdah & Abdallah Y. Naser & Ghada Mohammad Abdelwahab & Ahmad AlQatawneh, 2021. "The Prevalence of Mental Distress and Social Support among University Students in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Mohd Noor Norhayati & Ruhana Che Yusof & Mohd Yacob Azman, 2021. "Prevalence of Psychological Impacts on Healthcare Providers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Asia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-15, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:9:p:4699-:d:545334. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.