Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok City 16424, Indonesia
  • 2 Study Program of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. HAMKA (UHAMKA), Jakarta 12130, Indonesia
  • 3 Study Program of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Halu Oleo University, Kendari 93232, Indonesia
  • 4 Department of Information System, Faculty of Information Technology, University of SembilanBelas November, Kendari 93561, Indonesia
  • 5 Alifa Pringsewu Midwifery Academy, Kota Bandar Lampung 35373, Indonesia
  • 6 Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 40173, Indonesia
  • 7 Center for Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
PMID: 36834408 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043713

Abstract

Many countries, including Indonesia, were gravely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While younger people were rarely severely affected by an infection, they still served as important spreaders of the disease. Therefore, the knowledge, perception and attitudes regarding COVID-19 of a mostly younger population was assessed in this study using a quantitative survey and semi-structured questionnaire. Out of 15 questions on COVID-19, males answered fewer questions (-1.26) correctly. Persons reporting more diseases in the last year (+0.49 per disease) that lived in a central area of Indonesia, and that had a better socio-economic status defined through household condition scores, had better knowledge of the symptoms, causes of and measures against COVID-19. Better knowledge independently predicted more responsible attitudes and stated behavior. Knowledge and understanding should be enhanced through information campaigns targeted specifically towards men, persons with poor socio-economic backgrounds and those living in the periphery of the state.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.