Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 among chronic disease patients visiting public hospitals

BACKGROUND: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID 19) is a potentially severe acute respiratory infection first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. It is currently a global health issue and a public health emergency for the entire world, including Ethiopia. People with comorbidities of chronic disease are at higher risk for severe disease and death from this virus. Hence, in order to better control the COVID-19 pandemic, their understanding, attitude, and practice of COVID-19 prevention measures should be improved. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of chronically ill patients toward COVID-19 among chronic disease patients. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was employed among patients with chronic diseases visiting public hospitals in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia, from April to June 2021. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to retrieve data from systematically selected 319 chronic disease patients. The data were entered using EpiData version 4.4.2.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 23. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with the outcome variables. Significance was determined at a p value of <0.05, and association was described by using an odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: A total of 319 patients with chronic diseases participated in this study, with a 100% response rate. Out of 319 study participants, 51.1% had good knowledge, 59.9% had a positive attitude, and about half (49.2%) had good practices toward the COVID-19 pandemic. Multivariate analysis revealed that study participants completed secondary school (AOR = 4.691, 95%CI = 1.846–11.918), had college or higher educational levels (AOR = 4.626, 95%CI = 1.790–11.955) were positively associated with good knowledge towards COVID 19 where as those who aged 50 and up (AOR = 0.415, 95%CI = 0.227–0.759), divorced (AOR = 0.298, 95%CI = 0.116–0.764), and widowed (AOR = 0.115, 95%CI = 0.025–0.528) were negatively associated with it. Positive attitude had a statistically significant association with sex, being male (AOR = 0.471, 95%CI = 0.265–0.837), and occupation, being merchants (AOR = 4.697, 95%CI = 1.174–18.795), private employees (AOR = 4.484, 95%CI = 1.182–17.008) and housewives (AOR = 5.292, 95%CI = 1.372–20.414). Moreover, good knowledge (AOR = 4.047,95%CI = 2.205–7.427) and a positive attitude (AOR = 5.756,95%CI = 3.244–10.211) were factors significantly associated with the good practices of study participants towards COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Less than two thirds of the study participants had good knowledge, attitudes, and practices overall about the COVID-19 pandemic. Health professionals and other responsible bodies should provide public education about COVID-19 and its prevention measures to chronic disease patients.