Knowledge Levels and Disease Preventive Behaviors of Individuals Aged 18-74 Living in Antalya About COVID-19: A Population-Based Sample

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine knowledge and preventive behaviours of individuals aged 18-74 living in Antalya regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in March 2021 with 1000 people aged 18-74 living in Antalya. The data were collected with the “Questionnaire on COVID-19 Disease” prepared by the researchers. In the study, ethical approval, institutional permission, and informed consent from participants were obtained for the study. Results: The participants’ mean scores for COVID-19 general knowledge (11.85±2.29), and for their knowledge of preventive practices (25.00±3.42) and behaviours (84.85±10.33) against COVID-19 were found to be at a good level. It was determined that the knowledge and behavior mean scores of the participants were affected by variables such as age, education status, working status, income level, perceived general physical health level, district of residence, COVID-19 status, drug use, smoking consumption and marital status (p<.05). Conclusion: In this study, which was conducted in the central districts of Antalya, it was determined that although the participants had a good level of preventive knowledge and behaviours regarding COVID-19, they performed some practices that were not recommended by the health authorities. The fact that public health nurses play a more active role in such pandemic situations is a factor that facilitates the society's access to accurate and reliable information. A strong public health nursing infrastructure can be developed to plan future pandemics by learning from the experiences of public health nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

• Behaviour
• COVID-19
• knowledge
• pandemic
• public health nurse

Antalya’da Yaşayan 18-74 Yaş Grubundaki Bireylerin COVID-19'a İlişkin Bilgi Düzeyleri ve Hastalığı Önleyici Davranışları: Topluma Dayalı Bir Örneklem

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, Antalya'da yaşayan 18-74 yaş arası bireylerin yeni koronavirüs hastalığı (COVID-19) ile ilgili bilgilerini ve önleyici davranışlarını belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı tipteki bu çalışma, Mart 2021'de Antalya'da yaşayan 18-74 yaş arası 1000 kişi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veriler, araştırmacılar tarafından hazırlanan “COVID-19 Soru Formu” ile toplanmıştır. Çalışmada, çalışma için etik onay, kurum izni ve katılımcılardan bilgilendirilmiş onam alınmıştır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların COVID-19 genel bilgi ortalaması (11.85±2.29) ile COVID-19'u önleyici uygulamalara ilişkin bilgi (25.00±3.42) ve davranış (84.85±10.33) puan ortalamaları iyi düzeyde bulundu. Katılımcıların bilgi ve davranış puan ortalamalarının yaş, eğitim durumu, medeni durum, çalışma durumu, gelir düzeyi, algılanan genel fiziksel sağlık düzeyi, yaşanılan semt, COVID-19 geçirme durumu, ilaç kullanımı, sigara tüketimi gibi değişkenlerden etkilendiği belirlendi (p<.05). Sonuç: Antalya ili merkez ilçelerinde gerçekleştirilen bu çalışmada, katılımcıların COVID-19’u önleyici bilgi ve davranışları iyi düzeyde olmasına ragmen, sağlık otoriteleri tarafından önerilmeyen bazı uygulamaları yaptıkları belirlendi. Halk sağlığı hemşirelerinin bu tür pandemi durumlarında daha aktif rol oynaması, toplumun doğru ve güvenilir bilgiye erişimini kolaylaştıran bir faktör olarak düşünülmektedir. Halk sağlığı hemşirelerinin Covid-19 pandemisi sırasında karşılaştıkları deneyimlerinden ders alarak gelecekteki pandemileri planlanması güçlü bir halk sağlığı hemşireliği altyapısını geliştirilebilir.

Keywords

• Bilgi
• COVID-19
• davranış
• halk sağlığı hemşiresi
• pandemi

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