Evaluation of Awareness, Attitude, and Practice of Residents in Mashhad towards New Coronavirus Disease 2019 in 2020

The emergence of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused global anxiety and concern among societies and individuals. The provision of health education and awareness in such situations is very important and vital for the effective prevention of the spread of the disease. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the awareness, attitude, and practice of residents in Mashhad towards the new COVID-19 in 2020.

In total, 614 residents in Mashhad participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. The samples were selected using the convenience sampling method electronically. The data were collected through demographic characteristics form and a questionnaire on people's awareness, attitudes, and performance towards the new coronavirus. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 23) through descriptive and inferential statistical tests. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The majority of the participants were in the age range of 31-40 years (33. 8%) and married (76. 6%). The mean scores of the awareness, attitude, and practice of the residents in Mashhad towards COVID-19 were higher than those on average and were estimated at 78.57±9.22, 78.68±9.78, and 83.83±10.19, respectively. Moreover, the average level of trust in the media (radio and virtual media, magazines, and publications) was determined at 50. 31%.

The results of our study showed that the mean scores of awareness, attitude, and practice of residents in Mashhad towards COVID-19 were higher than those on average. Furthermore, the residents had a relatively high awareness of the coronavirus characteristics.