Libyan Society's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on the Coronavirus Using a Non-Parametric Test

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic appeared in most countries worldwide. Libya is one of these countries that faced this disease without a protection and prevention plan. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started suddenly, we need to study knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) to suggest recommendations that may help us discover weak points in KAP in the future. However, this issue remains under-researched. This study aimed to assess KAP for the protection and prevention of coronavirus in Libya, considering people's behavior and lifestyle in efforts to fight illness transmission. A cross-sectional technique was employed. Online questionnaire was used to collect data depended on Google Form via social media between 01/06/2020 and 15/07/2020, the sample selected randomly with 909 participations. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and total score) were used. To achieve the study aims and test assumption employed Binomial, chi-square analysis Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis utilized. This study assessed Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (or KAP) related to COVID-19 among 909 participants. While high agreement was observed regarding basic preventive measures like social distancing (95%), significant knowledge gaps persisted concerning specific aspects such as animal transmission (26%). Overall practice adherence was low (37.73%). Age, marital status, educational level, and income were significantly associated with attitudes and practices, but not consistently with knowledge. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address misinformation, promote behavior change, and reduce socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 responses.