The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to widespread quarantine and shutdown of all services deemed non-essential. While countries are starting to make headway in the battle against the disease, it’s predicted that quarantine measures will remain in place for several more weeks, if not months. Bringing the pandemic to a close will require widespread adoption of control measures like wearing masks and reducing social contact.

To better understand the relationship between these measures, and knowledge of and attitudes towards the virus, a group of Chinese researchers developed and distributed a questionnaire to roughly 6900 individuals via Wechat (similar to WhatsApp), Weibo (similar to Twitter), and media outlets.

Knowledge of COVID-19 was tested with a series of True/False/“I don’t know” questions including, for example: Eating or contacting wild animals results in infection; and Children and young adults needn’t to take measures to prevent infection. Researchers also evaluated people’s attitudes towards the virus both in terms of its successful control and eventual effective elimination. Finally, two questions served to determine whether safety practices were in use, namely whether individuals wore masks and avoided crowded places.

The results of the study show that the average individual has a sufficiently clear understanding of the virus, responding correctly to 90% of the questions. Further analysis pinpointed a number of communities that could benefit from increased education: males were generally less knowledgeable than females, while persons aged 16-29, those with a bachelor’s degree or lower, the unemployed, and students were all associated with lower knowledge. (That being said, even these groups tended to score 80% or higher, despite the fact that the study was conducted in the very early stages of the disease.)

Analysis of the data revealed a statistically significant correlation between higher COVID-19 knowledge, more positive attitudes and, most importantly, better adoption and implementation of safety practices. The researchers conclude that improving knowledge among residents is paramount to successfully fighting the disease.

Studies like this are an essential tool in the population’s toolbelt for reducing the impact of the virus and bringing the COVID-19 pandemic to a speedy close. By targeting communities with weaker knowledge of the virus, governments can improve safety practice compliance rates and help better protect these and all populations.

The study, “Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Chinese residents during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 outbreak: a quick online cross-sectional survey“, was authored by Bao-Liang Zhong, Wei Luo, Hai-Mei Li, Qian-Qian Zhang, Xiao-Ge Liu, Wen-Tian Li, and Yi Li.