Knowledge, attitude and practice of the Sudanese people towards COVID-19: An online survey

Abstract Background: The Novel Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) had emerged to affect the human population in 2019 causing COVID-19 pandemic. The disease has no vaccine and no definitive treatment; the only preventive measures available are social distancing, hand washing and masks. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of the Sudanese people towards COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study targeting adult Sudanese people was conducted out in Sudan in April 2020. The study used an online self-administered questionnaire and utilized social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp. The total number of eligible questionnaires was 987. Results : The mean (SD) age of respondents was 30.13 (9.84) years with males representing 55.4%. The majority were university and higher educated (95.2%) and residing in Khartoum (71.7%). The knowledge of the participants was rated as good in 90.6% and was found to be associated with education level (p-value = 0.001). The attitude was found good in 81.8% and was associated with females gender (p=0.02). The practice related to COVID-19 preventive measures was found good in 89.8% of the participants and was associated with sex and area of residence (p= 0.003, and p = 0.001 respectively). Conclusions: This study showed that there was good knowledge, attitude and practices among the participants who are mostly young and educated. Females tend to be superior in their attitudes and practices.