Open AccessPublic perception of COVID-19 in the Triângulo Mineiro region, Minas Gerais state, Brazil: a cross-sectional survey
Author(s) -
Maísa de Oliveira-Leandro,
Vinícius Henrique Almeida Guimarães,
Carolina Cassiano,
Juliana Cristina Costa-Madeira,
Anna Laura Piantino Marques,
Clara Motta,
Marcos Silva,
Virmondés Rodrigues,
Wellington Francisco Rodrigues,
Carlo José Freire Oliveira
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
revista de patologia tropical / journal of tropical pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.128
H-Index - 1
eISSN - 1080-8178
pISSN - 0301-0406
DOI - 10.5216/rpt.v50i3.69063
Subject(s) - cross sectional study , covid-19 , social vulnerability , pandemic , population , vulnerability (computing) , perception , socioeconomic status , demography , social distance , environmental health , psychology , geography , medicine , disease , social psychology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , sociology , computer security , pathology , neuroscience , psychological resilience , computer science
This was a cross-sectional, anonymous, online survey aimed at assessing the perceptions and basic knowledge of COVID-19, a highly transmissible disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, in a sample population in the Triângulo Mineiro region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. A questionnaire devised by the researchers and distributed through social media was applied between June 16, 2020 and August 21, 2020. The survey consisted of questions about the basic aspects of COVID-19, which included symptoms, risk groups, suspicion of infection, prevention, transmission, and perception regarding social isolation. The average distribution, frequencies, similarities and differences between the responses for the different variables were evaluated. Five hundred twenty valid responses were obtained from participants aged ≥18 years. Most of the respondents showed satisfactory basic knowledge of COVID-19. Moreover, the data showed that the participants scored an average of 87.6%. Sex, age, and socioeconomic vulnerability presented a statistically significant link with knowledge of the disease; women, young participants, and the least socioeconomically vulnerable had the highest scores. This study indicated that the population in the Triângulo Mineiro region able to access social networking platforms were basically well informed regarding COVID-19, although differences were observed depending on the group analyzed.KEY WORDS: Coronavirus; knowledge; surveys and questionnaires.