Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19: Research to develop a measuring instrument

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to understand public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
• Assessing these factors is crucial for effective public health interventions during pandemics.
• Existing measurement tools may not adequately capture the nuances of pandemic-related responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning COVID-19.
• To develop and validate a reliable scale for measuring these aspects.
• To create a tool applicable to COVID-19 and similar future pandemic scenarios.

Main Methods:

• A methodological scale development study using a quantitative approach.
• Data collected from 415 participants in the initial phase and 367 in the retest phase.
• Reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.894) and factor analyses (4 factors, 30 items) were conducted, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

Main Results:

• A 30-item scale with 4 distinct factors (General Culture, Mask/Distance/Cleanliness, Mental Status, Information Sources) was developed.
• The scale demonstrated high reliability and validity, with appropriate fit indices in CFA.
• The developed instrument was named the Turkey COVID-19 Attitude Scale.

Conclusions:

• The Turkey COVID-19 Attitude Scale is a valid and reliable instrument.
• This scale can be utilized to guide research and interventions related to COVID-19.
• The scale's utility extends to assessing public responses during future pandemic events.