Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice toward COVID-19 among UAE Residents: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory virus which was initially reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019 and declared as a public health emergency by the WHO on March 11, 2020. AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the public knowledge, attitudes, and practice toward COVID-19. METHOD: This is an online cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was in both Arabic and English languages and consisted of 4 segments (demographic, knowledge, attitude, and practice). The results were collected anonymously. The data were entered in Excel sheets and then exported and analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 1,602 UAE residents completed the questionnaire. The mean knowledge score is 71%, which reflects good knowledge. The mean attitude score is 78%, which reflects a positive attitude. The mean practice score is 76%, which reflects good practice. Ninety-four percent of the population avoid handshakes, 93.3% wear face masks regularly, 85.5% use hand sanitizers, and 66% wash their hands, 22.7% drink honey with ginger, 13% still prefer to take garlic, and 82% chose to constantly update themselves with information about COVID-19; however, only 10% relied on purely medical sources. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that UAE residents have satisfactory knowledge and favorable practice, with an overall high positive attitude. However, it is still encouraged to continue efforts in spreading awareness and public health education across all platforms, as well as increase awareness campaigns and correct misconceptions circulating on nonmedical platforms since they are a major source of information for the public.