Abstract
A viral illness called COVID-19 can be spread from one person to another. 2019 saw the first case of the virus reported in Wuhan, China, while 2020 saw Kenya record the first COVID-19 infection in Sub-Saharan Africa. To stop the virus from spreading, it is crucial to have the proper information, attitudes, and behaviors. There has been increased research on the impact COVID-19 had on the normal lives of people, however, studies of this effect on rural communities are scarce. Hence, the study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice, among residents of Navakholo sub-county, Kakamega, Kenya towards COVID-19. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study and Quantitative methods were adopted. The study was carried out in Kakamega County in Kenya. The respondents were community-dwelling household members 18 years and above (n = 278). Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics, chi-square test of independence, and independent t-test which was used to check differences in knowledge and attitude between groups. Findings were considered significant at p < 0.05. The main outcome measures included knowledge, attitudes, and practices. From the analysis, 47% had a high level of knowledge of COVID-19. Almost three-quarters 74.2% reported that COVID-19 is transmitted through droplets from sneezing or coughing followed by through air 70.2%. Regarding who is at risk of contracting COVID-19, the elderly were reported by the majority to be at risk from COVID-19 94.4% followed by those with other underlying conditions 59.5%. The overall attitude was positive (65.6%). The majority of the respondents 82.5% were willing to do a voluntary COVID-19 test and 94.8% reported that COVID-19 is preventable with 65% reporting that it can be treated at home. Over three quarters 79.5% reported that they have confidence that we can win the battle against the COVID-19 virus. With regards to practices, the majority of the respondents 89% reported that it is crucial to report a suspected case to health authorities, go for testing if they have fever and dry cough (79%), worn a mask when leaving home in recent days (99%) and avoided going to any crowded place including religious events in recent days (80%). An Independent t-test was conducted to establish whether mean age varied significantly by level of knowledge on COVID-19. Results indicated that there was a significant difference in mean age by level of knowledge on COVID-19 (F = 13.19, p < 0.001). A significant relationship was observed between religion, education level, marital status, employment status, and level of knowledge of COVID-19. Results indicated that there was no significant relationship between demographic characteristics and attitude toward COVID-19 (all p > 0.05). In conclusion, the overall computation revealed that generally majority of the respondents had high knowledge of COVID-19. The majority of the respondents showed positive attitudes and had good practices. The study recommends that the government should collaborate with telecom operators to disseminate COVID-19 messages promptly to their subscribers. Social media companies should enhance their fact-checking operations while search engines should limit information about COVID-19 from unverified websites.